Banana Bread

Ingredients in order of use:
take
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar &
1/2 cup butter . cream together
add 2 brown medium eggs
mix thourghly
add 3 bananas-  mashed and stir until somewhat smooth
1/2 cup milk 2%
add 1 tsp vanilla

1 cup bobs redmill baking & biscuit mix
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts * optional

Set oven to 350F. I use a large springform pan and baked mine for 45minutes. Make sure to grease pan so it doesn't stick! It turns out very moist and you wont miss the wheat version at all .

Thought I'd share

This is taken during a gluten attack . See my lovely protruding belly (and no I am not pregnant) not cool .

I am wearing my lovely pj's because when I am having an attack I swell up from a size 6 to about an 8 or 9 .
My tummy was very angry at this moment . The swelling should go down in a few hours after the gluten has passed through me .It's kinda like having Norwalk virus without the barfing and only lasts about 2-4 hours .

Tomorrow morning when I wake up I can expect some lovely blemishes on my face . Never seems to fail after having an episode to find a few on my forehead .

I have been struggling over the last few weeks with hellish allergies that have not been this bad since childhood . I am currently on Claritin everyday . If I miss a dose I can say hello to migraines , watery eyes , runny nose and what almost seems like narcoleptic episodes which I don't mind really except when I'm the only adult home with a very imaginative 3 1/2 year old . I wonder if this auto-immune disorder has had something to do with this sudden change of allergy reaction .  Sigh . I do know that since being on this gluten free lifestyle change my arthritis has improved and so has my skin so who is to say that it can't improve or worsen any other underlying issues I may have .

Any how I wish you all a good evening and a happy tomorrow .
  

Hungry

Lately I have been busy working, being sick / crazy allergies , and doing the mom thing . I have not had much  time to get inspired  . My reason for the inspiration this week has come forth out of the curiosity of glutionus rice flour . 

My first thought down the aisle was yuck gluten . Silly me . Rice doesn't have gluten . It just means the sweet sticky rice flour . So now I'm cruising the blogs for simple quick recipes to  try out . Feel free for some suggestions . I already attempted dumpling with a not so yummy outcome :P . 

Also having been so busy I haven't been meal planning as much and when that happens the door slamming begins . I don't mean big doors I mean my pantry and fridge doors as I wander between the two with a hungry tummy hoping something will catch my eye . You know what I'm tired of fruit / veg and water . Done. Even dairy booring . I just want to bite into a gooey ready made pizza or have a fekking sandwich that I don't have to use a microwave to thaw the bread first and burn my damn hands on . Honestly when hunger creeps up on me I just want to tantrum like my 3 1/2 year old . 

So getting past my hunger pangs I am going to be trying more ethnic recipes . I have a whole bag of tapioca starch which only cost me $1.99 and a bag of glutinous rice flour which was about $4 . So this is me going off now to search for great new recipes on the web . Wish me luck .

Cheers

Doing the family thing with Kara  & Sheila at Science World . Was so much fun !

In time for your GF Valentine

Decadent Chocolate Cake With Strawberry sauce
* adapted from Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook

Ingredients: cake

1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c butter
1/2 c rice flour
4 eggs separated
1/2 c sugar

extra chocolate topping:
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp corn syrup

Heat oven to 325 f . grease an 8" spring form pan . In a sauce pan heat the chocolate chips and  butter over medium heat until melted . Put aside to let cool for 5 minutes . Add rice flour to melted mixture and stir until smooth . Stir in egg yolks until well blended .

Beat egg whites in a bowl on high until foamy . Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time until a soft peak forms . Slowly fold in  the chocolate mixture to the egg whites . Once blended spread into your spring form and bake for 30-40 minutes . Insert wooden pick after 30 minutes to see if comes out clean if not back in it goes for 5-10 minutes .

In a sauce pan heat up chocolate chips , butter and corn syrup over medium heat until chocolate melts . Spread over top of cake and let drizzle down sides .

I put a strawberry sauce with mine .2 cups Strawberries, enough  water to cover strawberries , sugar to taste and cornstarch to thicken .

Wishing my followers a Happy Valentines day . 

This weeks find Childrens bubble bath and lotion

This week I found 2 new products while shopping at Thrifty foods . Bubble bath and lotion for children . The products are made by Nature Clean and are wheat and gluten free . The bubble bath has a nice scent but I was a little disappointed in the bubbles . They didn't stick around very long . The lotion on the other hand is great . Makes hands silky , is 99.7% natural and is odor less  . Gentle enough to use on babies and for sensitive skin . Lotion 2 thumbs up but pass on the bubble bath .

This weeks finds

So this year I decided to do some weekly finds . One of my favorite little shops to go to is the Food Warehouse on west 1st street right off of Lonsdale . I popped in there while hubby was getting comics and took K with me . We love poking around in there . They have unique treats and foods from many different backgrounds .

This week I found some amazing noodles . They are made by the King Soba company in a dedicated gluten free facility WOO HOOOO ! They were about $4 for the bag . I picked up Pumpkin Ginger Rice noodles and Sweet potato & Buckwheat noodles . I tried out the Sweet potato ones that night with some marinara sauce & chicken . They were nice . The flavor wasn't overpowering and they cooked quickly . Like in 4 minutes which is awesome .  I am going to give this weeks find 4 stars .

Also I want to thank the Blue Diamond company http://www.bluediamond.com/ for coming out with some wheat/gluten free crackers  . They proudly support the Celiac Disease society . They have a line of nut & rice crackers which are excellent . I am fond of the chedder ones and so is the rest of my family  ( I think next time 2 boxes are needed ). I found these at Pricemart and the Food Warehouse for around $4

Also it seems my lactose intolerance has some what decreased as I have been able to reintroduce some dairy products back into my lifestyle . This makes me extremely happy as I have a love of dairy .

Has anyone else found some hidden gluten free jems ?

Butterscotch Buns

Every Christmas morning I make these buns for my family. Its my contribution to breakfast . Unfortunately I was too busy and forgot to take a photo of the final result they turned out well for a gluten free version.

Dough Ingredients:

1 cup bobs red mill biscuit & baking flour
1/4 + 1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup rice milk

Filling :
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

You will need a muffin pan or two .

Mix all ingredients from dough together starting with all the dry ingredients then adding the butter then milk. If using a electric mixer it take about 3-5 minutes of mixing. Place in fridge for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 300 f .

pre-baked roll

Remove from fridge and knead 10 times. Place cling wrap on your rolling surface. This will help in the rolling process. You also need to dust it with flour. I used rice four. Once rolled out in a rectangle 8x10ish mix the filling together and spread over the dough. Once covered gently start rolling down to form a long roll. Cut roll into 1 1/2 " - 2" thick and place in muffin cups . Bake for 20-30 minutes but keep an eye on them . Once they are browned take them out.

These are a biscuit like bun and are great for breakfast or a quick snack . Would also be good with frosting.

Happy test kitchen everyone and happy 2011!

Holiday treats

No bake Cocoa Macaroons

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk ( I used 2%)
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups oats

In a sauce pan melt butter add milk sugar and cocoa and whisk . Bring to a gentle boil . Once boiled remove from heat. Add the shredded coconut and oats and stir . Line a cookie sheet with wax paper then drop mixture by spoon fulls or put mixture into muffin liners . Let cool and enjoy .  

Coconut Ice

Ingredients
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (approx)
2 cups icing sugar
1 3/4 cups shredded coconut
pink food colouring

Mix everything but food dye in a bowl . Dust a 8X8 pan with icing sugar and put half the mixture into pan . With remaining mixture add food colouring and knead . When colour is infused place on top of the mixture in the pan . Dust the top with icing sugar and refrigerate . Cut into squares and serve . 

Holiday peanut butter cups

I have made these before except this time I added half a large marshmellow and sprinkles . 

Sugar cookies

Cant find the recipe will post later . Sorry!

Happy holidays.

Strawberry short cake

I looooove the spongy texture of this recipe found at www.food.com .

Completely flourless they use cornstarch in its place . 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Check out the link for the complete recipe . 

Plus it froze well . I had some left over sponge that my mom used to make a lovely trifle !

Back off those are MINE- brownies!

Its really hard to share something this good with others 

This is by far the best recipe for brownies I've redone . You get a nice crunch on the top but the inside is super moist with more chocolate than I know what to do with . Even my hubby was sneaking them at bedtime.

For this amazing recipe you will need :

2 cup sugar

1 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

4 eggs

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup lactose free margarine

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F

Slowly melt your margarine in the microwave or on the stove . In a large mixing bowl stir together sugar and cocoa then add the melted margarine .

Add the eggs and vanilla and blend.

Then add the flour and chocolate chips stirring until batter is smooth . 

Pour into a greased pan and bake for 40-50 minutes . Insert a toothpick to check if done . Should come out clean . 

Let cool and enjoy .

Chocolate cake / conecakes

K enjoying her conecake

I couldn't bear to not make something fun for Halloween for my lil gal so I grabbed my daughters cookbook "Kids Cooking ; A slightly messy manual " By  Klutz.com 

They had a great recipe idea for frosted chocolate conecakes which I have made gluten free and lactose free.

Ingredients:

12 gf ice cream cones ( I used mini ones but alas they had wheat in them )

3/4 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup lactose free margerine

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup soy milk

1 tsp vanilla 

Pre heat your oven to 350F .In a large bowl  combine flour , sugar , baking powder , and salt

 In a sauce pan mix together magerine,  water and cocoa on low/medium heat so you don't burn the cocoa . When the mixture is completely melted slowly add to the flour mixture and blend well . 

Add the eggs,  soy milk and vanilla and mix again .

Place your ice cream cones into muffin sheet and fill with batter until 3/4 full leaving room to rise . 

Bake for 25-30 minutes . 

I used my remaining batter to make myself a cake . I used a 8" spring form pan and baked for 15-20 minutes. cut in half and added some icing . Yum for mum!

Icing 

1/2 container Tofutti cream cheese

aprox. 1 cup icing sugar ( I didn't write it down sorry! Just keep slowly adding the icing sugar until you get a good consistency) 

1 tbsp vanilla

*optional food colouring but I just didn't want to tempt fate with my 3 year old helping

This isn't a very chocolaty cake but its still nice . Wait till you try the brownies .....

Autumn soup

I am a big soup person and with harvest season here its time to experiment . This week I have made roasted
butternut squash with cauliflower and onion . The cauliflower really helps add a creaminess that I would have gotten from milk . I could have added soy milk I guess but wheres the creativity in that .

you will need:
1 butternut squash - cut in half take out the seeds and add a large knob of gfcf butter in the hole
1 cauliflower - cut into florets toss in olive oil
1 large yellow onion - diced
1L water or stock .you may want more or less depending on how thick you want your soup
curry powder*
pepper*
salt*

hand blender or blender

Roast the squash for 1 hour at 350F and the cauliflower for 30mins . Saute the onion until translucent then add 2 cups of water and let simmer .

Once the cauliflower is done roasting add it to the onion then add enough water or stock to cover them . When the squash comes out let it cool down enough so you can handle it . Should be soft and easy to scoop . Add the squash to the pot of onion and cauliflower, add your spices , make sure you have enough water (it should cover the veggies) stir then let sit at a medium heat for about 20 mins stirring occasionally .

After 20 mins you can start blending .

This makes a large pot . I like to freeze half of mine into portioned bags for later and share with family . Making soup ins't expensive or hard and is the best meal for those rainy days !

Happy cooking

* to taste

Tricky treats

As Halloween approaches my mind wanders to the candy being given out . Drool . Unfortunately many of them could potentially contain wheat / gluten . I am super glad to have found  website posted by Alison St.Sure . She put in a lot of hard work putting together a 2010 gluten free candy list . I would hug her if I could! http://surefoodsliving.com/2010/10/halloween-candy-list-gluten-free-allergen-free-status-2010/

Alison also provides a list of candy without the top allergens in it .

I really enjoy her site . Now I can have a happy healthy(ish tee hee ) Halloween .

Give away alert

If you love handmade knitwear please check out http://monpetitshoo.blogspot.com/ or find her on facebook and Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandamcmom ! I have purchase quite a few and given many as gifts and they are wonderful . Very cute children s hats and stylish adult ones too! She is definitely worth a look .

Sneak peek

I've been busy working and planning Ks 3rd birthday . She turned 3 yesterday so amazing ! I did manage to make a goat cheese sauce for my gf pasta topping it off with double smoked bacon from the british butcher shop  http://www.thebritishbutchershoppe.com/ new site coming soon . Be patient its worth it . Next off is a blueberry plum strudel . White rice and tapioca flour based .Recipes to come soon I promise . I have more to show but alas the photos are on my moms computer ! 

Happy creating people!

Pancakes

My morning was not going well .I'll blame the lack of coffee in my system . The pan was oiled and set to low to medium heat. The first 3 pancakes stuck and ruined my pan for the next batch . Even after that I was not defeated . Honestly I don't know why more people haven't tried to bake pancakes . It's way easier and they are done at the same time . If you have a silicone baking mat give it a try next time . If you don't have one go get one now what are you waiting for . Seriously go now . My burned / stuck on food days are over . Ok well you can still burn things but you wont be stuck scrubbing the burnt stuff off your pan just wiping your mat clean .

Cherrybrook Kitchens Pancake/waffle mix baked.

This product is Nut , dairy , egg , gluten free and made in a dedicated facility by Patsy and Chip. Patsy has multiple allergies so she understands how important it is to have a dedicated area  . This is a rice flour base pancake . They are quite light in colour but like I said they are baked so they are very thin cakes . Slight crisp exterior with a soft center . Very yummy even plain . Way to go Cherrybrook Kitchens !

B.L.T . Uhh ya

I love Bacon Lettuce and Tomatoes don't you . 

I'm one of those people whole will eat a tomato like an apple . Chomp chomp tomato all over my grinning face . Well this lovely recipe madness had me drooling like a fool . Who needs bread when you have awesome ideas like this one . Feel free to try . Its a big mess but soo yummy . I was even evil enough to fry my tomato in the bacon fat .  

Happy creating

Taste testing Beer & Sweet potato fries

So this summer with a lil help from my friends I discovered 2 other beers that are safe to drink . I was honestly shocked about the first one . BUDWEISER! Lo and behold its a rice beer surprise! Welcome back to my life . And the other Yanjing beer from china was very good . Quite a light beer good for those summer days by the beach . It does have barley but I seem to have no problem with it .

Next up is Alexia and their Sweet potato fries

Restaurant quality right from your oven . Crunchy exterior soft center delicious . They use a blend of corn, tapioca and potato starches and rice flour to get that crunchy texture . I picked these up at whole foods on sale for $2.99 . They also have a chipotle flavor as well  . Two thumbs up !

Mini Strawberry apple sauce cakes

Another cake . My Daughter has a cake theme going . It may be because she turns 3 in 12 days :)

This recipe is very simple . I used greased small tart tins to get the shape . 

Ingredients :

1 cup Bobs Redmill All purpose flour

1/2 cup Sweet Sorghum flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 cup vegan margarine

1 small kid cup of strawberry apple sauce = to about 1/2 a cup   

2 free range medium brown eggs

I just threw all the ingredients in my mixer so there really is no order to this list as we were just throwing ingredients in as we found them . That is what happens when your assistant chef is VERY YOUNG , but she is quite capable . Shes cracking eggs already (and washing up after to get the yuck off ) makes momma proud .Sniff . Anyways ... bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 but keep on eye on them . When you are done baking remove them from the tins and let cool on a rack . Top with you favorite jam! I used my triple berry again. They are spongy and moist and a great little snack . I think lil miss.chef  (tee hee ) had 3 that day .

Hope this has inspired you . Happy cooking!

Strawberry banana cake

I love how enthusiastic my daughter is about baking .Half the time I don't even have anything planned out I just start pulling out my flours n sugar and start rummage through my fridge . Lucky for you I had fresh strawberries and 1 lonesome banana . 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lard

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup white rice flour

1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 banana -mashed

* 1/2 cup of walnuts would do nicely as well  

Heat oven to 350F . Cream lard ,sugar , vanilla and eggs together . Slowly add the flour and gently stir in the fruit . Pour batter into an 8" springform pan . Bake for 20-25 minutes .