Globally Gluten Free!

GF, DF, Low Sugar Lemon Pie with Coconut Crust

2011-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

This lemon pie is simply scrumptious. The crust is made with delicate coconut flour, filled with meyer lemon filling and topped with an agave meringue. OK, what you imagine now is true, it is that good. The mellow taste of meyer lemon which is a lemon brought in from China centuries ago has a hint of orange to offset the tart taste of lemon. When I find them in season, I buy as much as I can to squeeze and freeze to have all year round. If you don't have them in your area, you can try a 2 to 1 ratio of say 1 tbsp orange juice to 2 tbsp lemon jiice. This filling will only make a thin layer, if you like your fillings thicker, double the filling recipe.

This crust is mixed with walnut flour, coconut flour and coconut flakes. You can make your own walnut flour by grinding walnuts till powdery but not to a paste so watch carefully. It bakes up beautifully.

The meringue is made with low glycemic agave heated and poured in slowly like the way you would make a 7 minute icing.

Lemon Coconut Agave Pie

Crust

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup shredded coconut (flakes)

1/4 cup ground walnuts

2 eggs

2 TBSP coconut sugar or 1 TBSP agave

1/4 cup Earthblend non dairy butter, softened

Pinch salt

Mix ingredients together in bowl. Dough will form a ball. The dough should be handled carefully and rolled between two sheets of wax paper till the desired size is obtained. Remove one layer of wax paper and flip the second layer on top of the pie pan. (I actually place the pie pan over the layer then in one fell swoop quickly flip the crust on top the pan). Prick sides and center of pie with fork.

Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Cool crust.

Filling

1/2 cup Meyer lemon

1/2 cup agave or coconut sugar*

1 tbsp regular lemon

Zest of one lemon

1 stick non dairy butter

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, 3 egg yolks

*Coconut sugar will bring a distinct coconut taste and darker color but is more difficult to find than agave.

Place lemon juice(regular and meyer), sugar or agave, zest, butter and salt in saucepan and heat on low till butter melts.

Combine eggs and egg yolks in bowl and stir.

Add 1/2 portion of lemon mix to eggs and stir quickly. Add all egg/lemon mixture to saucepan.

Heat and stir for 5 minutes till thick and coats back of metal spoon.

Strain and cool before pouring into pie pan.

Meringue

2 egg whites

1/2 cup light amber agave

Heat agave to simmer for about 7 minutes. In the interim, beat egg whites to stiff peaks, do not overbeat. Slowly pour in hot agave to beating egg whites. Whip a few more minutes till sugar is incorporated.

Pile on top of filled pie filling and bake in oven at 350 for about 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Note: This pie may pool water at the bottom of the pie pan after a day in the refrigerator. Slowly pour out liquid if this happens. No worries. Meringue should stay nice and fluffy.

Easy Delicious GF, Non Dairy, Low Sugar Birthday Cake

2011-10-06T08:48:00.001-07:00

Freezing your GF cakes are perfectly acceptable. While running my GF bakery this was common practice. Most GF foods keep very well in the freezer and therefore you always have a nice treat for that emergency birthday cake or dessert treat for a party. My favorite is this one made with your favorite GF cake (the one you made at 1 am when you couldn't sleep and froze 2 weeks before), a pack of Mimic Creme or Soy A Too whipped creme and a can of unsweetened fruit like peaches.

I mentioned Mimic Creme in an earlier blog posting. Made of cashews and nuts this low carbohydrate, low sugar alternative whips up to a stiff and thick creme. You can add more sweetener by whipping in agave syrup to taste. SoyAToo is a European product that is also non dairy and made with soy, an alternative for those of you allergic to nuts.

Simply whip your cream, strain your canned fruit and layer in your favorite cake.

GF, DF in Ottawa, Canada

2011-06-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

Ottawa, Canada's capital, is a gluten sensitive aware city. The Milestones restaurant, beside the famed Chateau Laurier has a wonderful section of gluten free foods on their menu. Spaghetti made with rice pasta in a tomato and caper sauce can be ordered without the feta cheese for those of us avoiding dairy. There is also a burger on a gluten free bun and numerous side dishes that are GF and dairy friendly.

The vegetarian restaurant, The Green Table on Main Street serves a fantastic buffet. A variety of vegan items like cauliflower stew simmered in a non dairy creamy cashew sauce, avocado salad filled with large half avocados marinated in a tangy sauce, tasty tofu salads, fresh made split pea soup filled with fresh green vegetables and a chopped kale salad are among the many dishes offered. The desserts are quite spectacular with fresh fruit, berry and tofu pies. My only disappointment was many of the beautiful breads and crusts were made with spelt flour and not GF. Otherwise kudos for the healthy, delicious meals!

Simply Biscotti on Preston Street has a delicious selection of GF offerings including a biscotti made with cornmeal, delicious with a cup of soy cappuccino. At the Byward Market,. I ordered a dozen different cupcakes from the Cupcake Lounge and fooled all my wheat eating friends. A good sign when not one crumb was left on the plate.

The awareness in this city is evident in signs and menus throughout the city. It is hard to go hungry here.

Heavenly GF Cherry Scones (England)

2011-04-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

A nice cup of tea with scones, how wonderful is that? This sorghum based scone is tender and loaded with good stuff. I used coconut sugar to make it low glycemic and thick coconut cream to replace nut milks or dairy. You won't miss the eggs so it's perfect for those who are allergic and also used frozen whole cherries for a nice surprise inside. Made for a tender crumb and juicy cherry filling.

These freeze pretty well.

Cherry GF Scones

1.5 cups sorghum flour 1/2 cup tapioca flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 cup coconut sugar pinch of salt 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

1 stick Earthblend non dairy butter

1/2 cup coconut milk (not the lite version but the full cream version)

10 whole cherries (frozen is fine)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together with a paddle on a low setting and add the stick of butter till crumbly in texture. Do not overmix.

Slowly pour in the coconut milk and mix until dough forms a ball.

Shape ball into triangles and stuff with one cherry. You should have enough dough for 10 scones.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Allow to cool until set. Enjoy with a cup of hot cinnamon tea.

Musings on being GF in the Philippines

2011-02-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

Though rice is the main staple of the Filipino diet, wheat still has a strong presence in Manila particularly with the westernization and seemingly unstoppable growth in the city. Subway's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Starbucks hold their own alongside local food establishments like Milky Way, Cafe Adriatico and Jollibee.
Bakeries' are abundantly thriving with little to no options for the GF. Rice desserts though are common and indigenous to the culture. Boiled in coconut milk and sugar till dry they are pressed into cakes to make "bibingka". Glutinous rice flour and water are boiled in water for a few seconds till the patties float and then rolled in coconut flakes and sugar to make "palitaw". Steamed rice flour with coconut milk is steamed to make "puto", a native staple with each region boasting their superior recipes.

Filipinos do love their rice. A heaping mound or two of white rice with a meat dish or "ulam" are the norm. As a result, gluten free eating is quite easy especially when sticking with local specialties. In recent year's, traditional foods have been become designer food products. Take a Sunday trip to the Legazpi market in Makati, Manila and you can feast on anything from fried pigeon, fresh from the shell coconut juice, water buffalo cheese and ice cream. One designer food shop "Bud-Bud Kabog" run by Maribel and Carl Van Hoven offer a local specialty called "suman", sweet rice with coconut milk wrapped tightly and steamed in banana leaves, with a creative spin. They stuff them with a myriad of fillings from chocolate to mango to langka (a native jackfruit with a pungent odor but a mild delicate, milky taste). They even make a version out of millet which is fantastic.

At this market you will find the local water buffalo milk or carabao milk made into cheese or ice cream as shown in the photo on the right on top of a banana leaf. Sort of ironic when you consider these massive grey horned creatures in the rice fields can produce such delicate cheese.

While in Manila, I was fortunate to have dinner at a friend's house where their chef, Josh, had prepared my portion of the meal - gluten and dairy free. I was grateful, somewhat embarassed, strangely honored, at the accomodation they had to make for my allergies. Josh was up to the challenge though and prepared a meal from soup to dessert, all offerings worthy of being served at a finest GF restaurant. His dessert creation was a handrolled rice paper filled with a banana and jackfruit filling on a delicate fruit sauce- simply heavenly.

Being gluten free for locals does create a challenge when you venture away from rice. I spoke to a friend whose husband, an American from Virginia living part time in the Philippines, was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity a few years ago and yearns for palatable bread. She explained to me how celiac disease tests did not exist in the Philippines, the majority of people have little to no awareness of gluten allergies. Other friends who live there, with autistic children have to spend a small fortune on a small pack of Bob's Red Mill flours. A very big frustration and am sensing becoming a larger problem. The farming of ancient grains like teff, quinoa or amaranth which are easy to grow and proliferate wildly in South America are not available domestically. With the tropical climate I imagine these grains would grow in abundance.

Without these options, your staple remains rice. A call to creative chefs out there to meet the demand of alternative grains for the ever increasing GF population.

Almond Flour and Italian desserts

2010-11-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Italian food is that last thing you think about when you are GF. A wheat minefield. So your options become the one roast chicken on the menu. Pizza and pastas are definitely out. Oh yeah, so are cream sauces and desserts.

However, there are regions in Italy with the most fantastic almond based desserts. Lila at the Busy Baker in Sydney, is the model of how country specialties can be made GF and delicious on a large scale. (See previous blog on her creations). From her Arrancini filled bolognese to her delicious GF waffles and lemon creations, her work is a testament of what can be done.

The Abbruzzo region, serves their famous Parozza di Pescara (Italian chocolate cake) with almonds (although many serve their dish with semolina, I find it is fine without it), then there is the Foccacio a la Portoghese, an orange almond cake that is simply divine whose recipe dates back to the 1800's. Read about it at this food history blog. I've had it in the little island of Waihiki in New Zealand and can attest to it being possibly one of the best cakes I have ever eaten. You can substitute the sugar in this recipe for agave but lessen the orange juice to one cup.

GF Baklava

2010-10-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

Pecan Baklava

Your dehydrator can be a terrific tool for you to create GF masterpieces. Many home ovens now come with them. Raw food enthusiasts who don't heat their food over a certain number of degrees to maintain their nutrients, swear by the dehydrator. Here is a simple, tasty, impressive GF, DF recipe for you to try. A spin on the traditional baklava made of walnuts, this one is loaded with nuts, I used cashews and has a phyllo crust made of cashews. Of course, low glycemic sweeter. This recipe makes about a 5X5 square. Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco is a wonderful raw food restaurant that specializes in these type of raw desserts.

Phyllo Dough

3/4 soaked cashews - Soak Cashews in water overnight and drain when ready to use

1/8 tsp salt

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon juice

Blend all ingredients till smooth and creamy - takes about 3-5 minutes on high speed.

Pour the paste on to a dehydrator sheet of teflex liner and spread to make a thin sheet. You should have enough to make 3 sheets. (For the photo, I stacked 2 sets on top each other). Not too thin that you can see through it. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 145 degrees then lower to 115 for 24 hours. You should be able to pick up the sheet and not have it crumble apart.

Filling

3/4 cup pecans chopped to small bits

2 Tbsp agave nectar

1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice

1/8 tsp cardamom

Mix all ingredients together by hand.

Cut the phyllo into equal squares and layer with filling equally. Start with one piece of dough then pecans then more dough. Top with 1 Tbsp agave or yacon syrup to create a glaze.

To store: Store in airtight container for up to a week.

A GF Find - Busy Bakehouse - Sydney, Australia

2010-09-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Meet Lilla Petrocitto, the shy, energetic, passionate proprietor of Buzy Baker is taking GF baking seriously. Walk around Queen street in the trendy suburb of Woollahra and you will see her tending to her customers with care. Lilla is celiac with multiple allergies. She has turned lemons to lemonade with the most extensive GF products yet. She constantly tests and solicits customer feedback on every dish she serves.

This place has the most amazing thin crust pizza. Our prosciutto and arugula pizza had snap and crunch, was slightly sweet and complemented the prosciutto, rocket topping. Buzy Baker had savory pies and gnocchi, a mile high lemon pie, apple and rhubarb pies, lemon polenta cake, Florentines, quinoa and chia bread all GF. Truly one of the most extensive GF bakeries I have ever encountered, this shy but passionate woman has transformed some Italian classics into GF masterpieces - some GF/CF, some GF. Although most have a sugar base, this serves as an inspiration of what creative baking can be.

Enjoy her creations..

New Product - Danielle Crispy Green Tea Rolls

2010-06-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

WholeFoods now carries this delicious crispy rolled cookie that is melt in your mouth delicious. Though it does contain brown sugar it only has 7 grams for 3 rolls. With only 6 ngredients it is loaded with good stuff - coconut milk, tapioca flour, brown sugar, green tea, egg and salt. No preservatives, no colors and only $4.99 a box! You won't be disappointed, if you can find it that is..contact the manufacturer at DanielleSnacks.com. They have an interesting story, but these crispy rols are not listed on their website and really should be. Yum!

The Maligned Coconut

2010-05-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

In past years the coconut has been shunned for contributing to high cholesterol and to be avoided. This is due possibly to the notion that coconut oil was once hydrogenized and therefore categorized as an unhealthy, dreaded transfat. Nothing could be further from the truth. The coconut in it's basic form, unprocessed, is antiviral, high fiber, low carbohydrate and low glycemic. Possibly the perfect food.

The fiber content of coconut ranks at 61% as compared to 27% for wheat bran, 16% for oat bran, 13% for wheat flour and 3% for unbleached white flour (another reason to avoid that nasty flour). One cup of shredded fresh coconut has 3 grams of carbohydrate 9 grams of fiber...yes, 9 grams! The remaining 68 grams is primarily water.

Coconut fiber has been shown to control blood sugar and insulin levels. It's high fiber content helps moderate the swings in blood sugar slowing down the absorption of sugar in the blood. In addition, coconut flour has been shown to increase your good cholesterol or HDL. Coconut meat has been shown to protect the heart by modifying blood lipid levels.

So now to the good stuff, when baking with coconut flour note that the liquid to dry ratio may at first seem high until you add the flour. It has an amazing ability to absorb a lot of the liquid very quickly. The batter may seem elastic and thick but it bakes up very nicely. Also, a little goes a long way with the flour. Try substituting a portion of your GF flour with coconut flour and replacing your non dairy milk with coconut milk. Both are easily obtainable online. Bob's Red Mill or Aloha Nu have organic coconut flour. Canned Coconut milk and fresh in the shell coconuts are readily available at any Asian market.

For a quick dessert, buy one of the fresh coconuts and chop of the top portion, save the liquid for a refreshing drink and place 2 scoops of non dairy ice cream inside. As you dig into the ice cream, scoop out the delicious coconut meat - YUMMY!

The only downside is that the flour tends to be a bit pricey. If more of us clamour for it, we could possibly start a movement to get the price down.

Legal Seafood - A GF Haven in Boston

2010-04-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

Legal Seafood in Boston is one of the few restaurants in the country with a dedicated GF menu. Ask for it when you dine there. It is extensive and they take pains to prepare the seafood in a dedicated area, washing and preparing the plates separately to avoid cross contamination. Their fried calamari, rolled in chickpea flour, is fresh, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They will serve GF bread in lieu of white rolls which are reminiscent in texture of buttermilk biscuits. They are made of rice and tapioca flours, seasoned with a hint of onion. Their salmon is cooked to perfection. The GF food is served by their managers as they take allergies very seriously. In addition, they pride themselves in the freshest fish off the boats and quality test their fish for mercury regularly. When dining there you don't have to second guess the health aspect of any of their products. I found myself dining there at 6 times in a quick 5 day stay!

Legal Seafood has to be applauded for such committment to their wheat intolerant patrons. Encouragement of restaurants like Legal Seafood brings an awareness to other restaurants of the spectrum of customers out there who want to dine out but are limited in a world of wheat. Though their desserts are mainly dairy, they are making a difference in the wheat world. When other restaurants would rather not both with the hassle of maintaining a separate area and taking meticulous care in the preparation of GF food, this restaurant shines above the rest.

Thank you, Legal Seafood!!

Chipas or Pao de Queijo - Cheese Bread - South America

2010-04-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've served this savory bread several times to non GF friends and they all loved it. Also called pao de queijo in Brazil (cheese bread), pandebono in Colombia, chipas in Paraguary and Buenos Aires. It is served in roadside stands in much of South America for about a quarter. Best part is that it is naturally gluten free. Made of cassava or corn flour, filled with cheese, it is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

This recipe uses tapioca flour. I have substituted rice milk and rice cheese to make this recipe work. You can try different fillings. It is extremely easy and quick to make. Serve this out of the oven while warm, as it sits the consistency will change to be someone softer and lose it's crispiness.

Heat oven to 375.

Mix together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup water and 1/3 cup rice milk in saucepan. Heat at high till liquid starts to boil. Remove from heat and add in 2 cups tapioca, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 clove finely chopped garlic. Let cool for 15 minutes. Dough will be slightly stringy and able to form a ball.

Mix in 2 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup rice or soy "cheese". Form into small 1.5 inch balls and place on an ungreased pan. Should make 12-15 depending on size. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden on the outside and moist on the inside.

New Product Substitute for Cream

2010-04-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

I found a new product in Whole Foods which is quite exciting. MimicCreme is a non dairy, non junk food, substitute for cream. I have tried it in GF eclairs and as a filling for cakes and it worked out very nicely. The simplicity and wholesomeness of the ingredients is something worth mentioning. Made from almonds and cashew nuts, it gives a nice thick texture to those recipes for creamy mousse dessert cakes or simply as a replacement for heavy cream. With 0 grams of sugar and 1 carbohydrate, this product is amazing. If you've tried raw cheesecakes, many of them are nut based so it is not that unusual and actually works quite well. Thank you to the chefs who make these creative products possible!

GF Oven "Fried" Chicken

2010-04-04T19:12:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick and easy, healthy alternative to fried chicken. Served with a salad served sprinkled with mandarin oranges and almonds, and a light dressing of olive oil, rice wine vinegar and agave, it is a staple at our house.

Wash and dry 4 chicken drumsticks.

In a plastic bag, mix together 1 cup almond meal and 1 cup brown rice flour. Add about 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add your favorite ground herbs to taste if desired.

Place chickens in bag and mix together till chicken is thoroughly coated.

Meanwhile heat an over to 375 degrees.

Lay chickens out on foil lined tray sprayed with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is crispy and well cooked.

GF Rice Pudding (Vegan)

2010-04-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Rice pudding with golden raisins and pistachios

Rice pudding is one of those comfort foods when made perfectly. It is easy, quick and this recipe does not require eggs or an oven. The secret is using the right rice. I have tried this recipe with basmati, glutinous, long grain but the perfect rice that seems to have the perfect starch consistency is a good medium grain short grain white rice. Made with creamy hemp milk (you can use rice milk) and agave. The sweetness of the raisins with the saltiness of the pistachios gives it a nice balance of salty sweet.

Start by boiling 1 cup water. (The normal proportions would be 2 water to 1 rice.). Add in
1/2 cup medium short grain white rice and a pinch of salt. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes as you would when making regular rice.

Add 2 1/2 cups hemp or rice milk, 1/3 cup agave and cook on low for another 30 minutes. Pudding will be cooked when spoon stands up straight in the mix.

Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1//2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup golden raisins and 1/2 tsp pistachio nuts.

YUMMY! How easy is that!

All GF Flours are not Created Equal -Rice Flour

2010-03-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, new to the GF world, mentioned buying a quinoa bread that was totally inedible. Her whole family was convinced the bread was bad after one bite. I told her of a similar experience I had trying a GF bread touted as "the moistest gluten free bread on the market today". Its weight was a tip off as to what the texture was going to be like. Dense, heavy, pungent and crumbly, I was convinced it had gone bad in the shipping until I opened the sister loaf and it had similar unearthly characteristics. I immediately felt very sad for all the customers who buy this bread thinking that this is the gold standard of breads. That the sentence for being gluten free was a life with this bread and this is all there is out there. Rest assured it is not!

Filling your pantry with these wonderful alternatives is very exciting. GF recipe books abound on Amazon and after a few tries you will find your cookbook that will make the difference for you. These renegade authors and chefs, often take their professional traditional pastry training and after countless tries turn a wheat classic into a GF classic. We should applaud them for the hours of work and the failed experiments to get closer to baking perfection. So lets start our journey with flours and the myriad of choices out there.

This posting I'll start with rice flour, because it is readily available in many forms and each behave differently.

Rice Flour comes in many forms - white, extra fine white, brown, glutinous or sweet rice. Knowing what type to use and when is more science than art.

White Rice Flour is milled from polished white rice and is grainier than the other varieties of flour. It is best when mixed with other flours to make bread, cakes and cookies. When used alone can sometimes have a gritty texture.

Extra Fine White Rice Flour - Is a finer ground white rice flour with a soft powdery texture. I mix this flour with other flours when making finer cakes. Its consistency helps with with the gritty texture of white rice flour but when used solely can add a gummy texture to a cake.

Brown Rice Flour has similar properties to rice flour but has better nutritional value as it is milled from unpolished brown rice. Because it contains more oils, it is best kept refrigerated. It has a nutty taste and grainy texture. Again, this rice is best when mixed with other flours.

Glutinous or Sweet Rice is also known as sticky rice. It is very elastic when mixed with liquid. It is one of the most perfect gluten free flours widely used in Asia and is said to have been used in China for over 2000 years in both savory and sweet dishes. This type of rice can be milled or unmilled. Milled Rice is typically white and unmilled which contains the bran can be black or purple. The famous Japanese "mochi" which is a small round cake with typically a bean filling is wrapped with a sometimes white glutinous cover. Vietnamese cultures also use the flour to make the distinct "Banh" cakes (they also may use cassava or tapioca flours) filled with sweetened mung beans. Filipinos will make a version called "Palitaw" which is glutinous flour shaped flat and dipped in boiling water then rolled in sesame seeds, sugar and coconut flakes.

As you can see this variety of rice flours makes it a versatile alternative in GF baking. If you are looking for the traditional crumb of a Western made cake, you will be best using a combination of flours when using rice flour. Rice flour with potato and tapioca starches seem to be a good combination. Try a mix of 1 cup brown rice flour to a 1/3 cup potato starch and 4 tbsp tapioca starch to make a versatile GF flour mix in these proportions. You can make this mix in batches using it as needed when baking most of your cakes when replacing flour.

Perfect Vegan GF Chocolate Cupcake

2010-02-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

The search for the perfect vegan cupcake has taken me 6 months, countless recipe trials and modifications. Finally, I can share with you success..best yet, no eggs, gluten, sugar or dairy. I served this at a recent gathering of very picky eaters who called it the best cupcake they've ever had -firm and moist - no one could ever guess it was gluten free. I owe this find to the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen blog whose recipe won out on all the others. I used it as a base and modified to enhance the moisture.

The biggest complaint of gluten free baked goods is that it is crumbly and dry. With any of these ancient grains that lack gluten it is sometimes necessary to let the batter sit with the liquid to allow it to absorb. In classic baking, this is a no-no as this cannot be done with recipes which are heavily leavened with eggs as the incorporation of eggs give the lift and rise to the cake. However, with vegan desserts, this is possible with the absence of eggs. I have tried soaking the batter after mixing for 15-20 minutes for this recipe and it makes a noticeable difference in the texture of the crumb.

This recipe I tested both with rice and hemp milk. The hemp milk gave it a creamier texture and the coconut sugar I use for its low glycemic properties. (It is one of my favorite sweeteners and works great in recipes where brown sugar is used.) I am sure this recipe will fool even your toughest critics. This recipe yields about 9 large or 20 mini cupcakes:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup hemp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tins.

Mix together sorghum, tapioca flours, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and sea salt.

Beat oil, coco sugar, hemp milk and vanila together .

Beat in dry ingredients until well mixed. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to absorb the moisture.

Fill pans 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes for mini cupcakes and 20-15 for regular size cupcakes.

When cooked, wait 5 minutes then remove from tins and cool on rack before frosting.

This frosting seems to work well with these cupcakes and it isn't too sweet. It does pipe on very soft and you may need to modify it to the stiffness you want by adding more coconut oil which solidifies at room temperature. The coconut gives it a nice taste.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup palm shortening
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp arrowroot powder
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredient together until fluffy. Pipe on to cooled cupcakes.

A world of discoveries in Asian food stores

2010-01-25T06:41:00.000-08:00

Head off to your local Asian market and spend time discovering the variety of goodies available. A myriad of alternatives await you from tapioca crackers to mung bean noodles to tofu soup to rice desserts wrapped in banana leaves. Though most labels might seem intimidating in their native language, almost all will have an English ingredient list. The tapioca crackers from Indonesia for example had tapioca flour, water and salt listed. Now be aware that most of the desserts come with a hefty dose of refined white sugar but if ideas are what you are looking for, the Asian market has all the ingredients to allow you to make your own low sugar alternative. A steamed rice Philippine cake wrapped in a banana leaf cane be made with glutinous sweet rice, coconut milk, a banana leaf (they come frozen in the food aisle) and substitute the sugar with your sweetener of choice. A tofu pudding, a traditional Chinese dessert of creamy soft tofu in a sugar syrup served warm can be made with an agave syrup - you control the sugar content.

Meandering through these aisles with your mobile phone allows you to use technology to instantly understand what your a looking at. A quick web search of what "chana" is brings up wonderful chickpea or garbanzo flour recipes commonly used in Indian cuisine in dishes such as vegetable pekoras. The great thing about many of these foods is that inherently they are not only gluten free but lactose free. Coconut milk or rice milk is often substituted for the milk as pasteurized cow milk in many of these countries is not native to their cultures. Try substituting sugar with low glycemic agave or coconut sugar. Try making a vanilla Thai custard which is not only easy but contains healthy antiviral coconut milk or bring home ingredients for the classic Thai sticky rice with mango dessert or Pick up some Japanese mochi (sticky sweet rice buns filled with red beans) or even a fresh young coconut with a straw to sip the freshest natural good for you juice you've ever had then scrape off the coconut meat to grate on your desserts.

Enjoy your trip to the Asian store, it opens a world of possibilities!

Art of Baking Gluten Free

2010-01-25T06:01:00.000-08:00

As you start to venture out making your own creations, there are a few basics that can help guide you in your substitutions. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, first use an existing recipe then tune your ingredients. Prepare to summon up all your patience as sometimes getting the final result can take several tries. For one recipe I am still working on, I've done 11 tries and counting! But I hope these guidelines can help you somewhat.

When substituting wheat with any of the "ancient" grains (as many of these alternative grains have been used for centuries in some cultures before wheat was brought to their shores), keep in mind that wheat absorbs water at a higher rate than other grains. Wheat swells to soak up the moisture you add to it. So soaking the flour in your liquids before mixing can help the common complaint on dryness with GF goods. Too little moisture often results in a crumbly texture, too much hydration and the crumb will be dense and heavy. This rule holds most true with breads. As you experiment you will find each recipe to be a little different. When baking cakes, remember that leavening, or incorporating gasses into your batter to give it volume and shape by using baking powder or yeast, may require only a short soak to make a nice difference in your cake(5 minutes). There are exceptions, when using egg foam as you will quickly lose volume after beating since the trapped air in the foam allows for proper leavening of your cake.

In addition, if you use finer ground flours like fine ground rice or almond flour you increase the surface area of the grain adding to the changes in the hydration required. In one GF tart crust recipe I used almond meal and experiencing crumbling so much that I had to use an egg to bind everything, I substituted finely ground almond flour and removed the egg. The result was a perfect crust - held its shape without crumbling, could be filled without getting soggy and was crispy. Huge difference from the original.

In many cake recipes, try using a fine ground rice flour (Gustos Mills makes a good one) instead of the regular rice flour and you will see a significant change in the texture of your cakes, the grainy texture will now have a moist mouth feel.

Finally, try using warmer liquid to accelerate the swelling and absorption of the liquid into your grain. Particularly true with bread where a thermometer is indispensable - 120 typically for yeasted doughs.

Hopefully these tips can help you as you modify your favorite wheat recipes. Your journey may be sometimes frustrating but with a little bit of trial and error you won't miss any of your favorite desserts.

A Healthy mashed "potato"

2009-12-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

If you crave mashed potatoes or are on macrobiotic diet but don't want the high glycemic rush here is an alternative that works amazingly well. No butter, no milk required for this fluffy healthy dish. Try it with your favorite turkey dinner or on a shepherd's pie or just fried and stuffed as a croquet. It is made of millet and cauliflower so you get your veges too!

Wash, rinse 1/2 cup millet grains andpPlace in a saucepan.

Add 2 1/2 cup water, about 1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower and a pinch of salt.

Bring to a boil, reducing heat to simmer with cover on.

Cook for 35 minutes, stir after 30 minutes.

Millet thickens when cooked - cook until soft, remove from heat letting stand for 5 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree until smooth and with consistency of mashed potatoesl

Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

A GF Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-25T05:36:00.000-08:00

A Happy GF Thanksgiving!!

The holidays present a myriad of choices for GF/CF lovers. Websites overflow with ideas. To complement your Thanksgiving turkey you can include side dishes like pumpkin flan (made with hemp or rice milk), cranberry apple chutney, fruit tart, whipped sweet potatoes, macaroons, to name just a few. Here are some menu ideas that center around a hassle free, simply cooked, crispy skin, moist centered turkey.

2 Hour Roast Turkey with Brown Rice/Mushroom Dressing

12 lb fresh thawed, no antibiotic turkey, salt and pepper

Prepare turkey by removing any giblets in cavity (my sister always forgets to take these out) and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 375 degrees (Use an oven thermometer for best results). Place turkey in the oven for about 2 hours. To check for doneness, insert a thermometer at the base of the breast between the thigh and make sure temperature is 180 degrees. That’s it – you’re done.

No fussing, no basting, no bags or contraptions. This will work only for turkeys under 14 pounds.

Brown Rice Mushroom Dressing
In a saucepan, toast 1.5 cups of brown rice. It will smell heavenly and take on a lightly browned color. Remove rice. Sautee 3 cups mushrooms (shitake or crimini work nicely) and 1 large chopped diced onion in about 4 tbsp of olive oil. Add back browned rice and 6 cups of water and stir to mix. Bring rice to a boil on medium high heat. Once boiling, lower heat to medium low or low and boil for about 45-55 minutes until water dries out and rice is soft. Toss in 1 cup diced green onions and serve.

Brussel sprouts with Pecans
Wash and quarter about 1 pound of brussel sprouts. In a pan, heat about 4 Tbsp olive oil. Add sprouts and cook till tender. Add about 1 cup chopped pecans and 2 tbsp orange juice. Mix thoroughly and serve warm.

Whipped sweet potato
This simple recipe brings out the natural sweetness of the potato without the addition of a lot of sugar.

Wash 4 medium sized sweet potatoes and poke with a fork to release steam. (If you can find the Japanese sweet potatoes they are the sweetest, most delicious variety you can find. No need to even sweeten it!) Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. When cooled, peel and cut in half. Place in a mixing bowl, add 3 tbsp rice milk, 3 tbsp orange juice and ½ tsp cinnamon. If your potatoes are not sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of agave nectar to keep the glycemic level low.

Cranberry Apple chutney
A nice complement to the turkey, you can also bottle this in jars to give as gifts. You can even make it ahead and freeze it for a later date.

In a large saucepan combine 4 cups cranberries, 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup agave syrup, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cloves, 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 cup water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes (the cranberries will pop in the pan so don’t worry). Add 1 medium chopped onion, 1 medium, peeled, cored and diced apple and cook another 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

GF Pumpkin Flan
No sugar, no wheat, no lactose – what could be better than this!? This recipe uses coconut milk, pumpkin and agave nectar.

In an 8 inch pie round, pour 1/3 cup agave syrup. This step replaces the traditional melting of the sugar and water at the bottom of a flan.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup pumpkin puree.Heat in saucepan till just to the point of steaming and warm. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mix together 5 eggs, 1/3 cup agave nectar and a pinch of salt.
Slowly whisk in the milk mixture, half first then mix thoroughly then the next half. Do this so as not to scramble the eggs. Add ½ tsp vanilla.

Pour through a fine mesh sieve on to the prepared pan.
Place in a another pan and pour hot water to cover halfway up the sides of the pan.
Bake 40-60 minutes or until firm when jiggled. Remove pan from water and cool for 2 hours.

When ready to unmold, set pan in warm water for a few minutes and run a hot knife along the sides of the custard. Place serving plate on top of custard pan and flip very quickly. Let pan sit on top for a few minutes to ensure the agave at the bottom pours along the top.

GF Tart Nut Crust

2009-11-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

The challenge with removing the gluten in crust is ensuring it holds its shape when it is unmolded and filled, I've used this nut crust very successfully for mini fruit tarts., It bakes up beautifully with the hazelnuts which adds an interesting complement to many of the fillings. I have also tried this with almond meal with much success. This crust will hold up when filled for about 2 days. Fill with your favorite filling - a rice milk pastry "cream", lemon, chocolate or coconut filling. This should be a staple in your dessert repertoire.

Makes about three - 4 inch tarts or one 9 inch crust.

1/3 cup plus 1/2 tbsp white rice flour - use the fine rice flour (Gusto's or try your Asian food markets)

3/4 cup garbanzo flour

1/2 cup ground hazelnut flour (can use almond meal)

3 tbsp agave

5 1/2 tbsp chilled non dairy butter (I use Earthblend)

Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the non dairy butter a tabsp at a time on low speed till mixture forms a ball. Wrap with waxed paper or plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Tip -> You can freeze this crust up to 2 weeks. Move to refrigerator for a few hours till soft before rolling out.

Heat oven to 400.

When ready to use, roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to a round about 1 inch larger than the base of your pan. Ensure dough is rolled out evenly. Lift dough and flip onto tart mold. Gently press into place, cut and trim pieces to ensure evenness in sides and middle of dough. Pay careful attention to the thinner portions of the crust wall adding more crust to reinforce as necessary. This ensures when you remove the crust from the pan it is sturdy enough to handle and hold your filling without falling.

Puncture bottom with fork several times to ensure dough does not rise when being baked creating dough bubbles. You may also use pie weights if you have them.

Tip -> I place foil on crust then top with rice (this later gives the rice a nice toasted taste when you are ready to cook it)

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned.

If you need a pre-cooked pie crust - bake 10 minutes, fill then bake an additional 20-25 minutes.

GF Lemon Bars

2009-11-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

This recipe uses an almond crust for a nice low carbohydrate option, has no sugar (powdered sugar is optional) or lactose. I used Meyer lemons which are a cross between lemons and mandarin oranges. It mellows out the lemon sharpness nicely. You could add about 1 tbsp orange juice to 1/2 cup of regular lemon juice in this recipe to substitute for Meyer lemons.

Blanched Almond Flour is a finer ground almond meal and works very nice for baking and cooking. If you use almond meal you may not get the fine crust result. There are many fine ground almond flours available online. I got mine mailorder from Honeyville products.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan with oil and dust with almond flour.

1 ½ Cups blanched almond flour
2 tbsp brown rice flour
½ tsp sea salt
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tbsp agave nectar

Combine almond flour, brown rice and salt in mixing bowl.
Mix together agave, oil and mix in to the dry ingredients till combined.
Press into pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes, crust will be golden brown.
Meantime, prepare filling below.
½ cup Meyer lemon
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ tsp salt
Mix all ingredients in a blender till smooth. Pour filling into hot crust.Bake an additional 15 minutes till golden and firm. Let cool for 30 minutesand place in refrigerator for a few hours till set. Cut into bars and enjoy.

You could optionally sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like a white powdered topping.

Yummy GF Waffles (Europe)

2009-11-03T14:51:00.001-08:00

The origin of waffles dates back to the Middle Ages, thin crisp cakes between wafer irons. In 14th century England, wafers were sold by street vendors called waferers. Some food historians say the waffle originated in Greece in the 1300. In Sweden there is even a Waffle Day! In America, waffles were brought in by the Pilgrims from Holland and are typically leavened with baking powder.

Those of us who are gluten free can celebrate the waffle with this recipe which I think are better than the run of the mill wheat ones . The potato and rice flours crisp nicely in the waffle iron. Be sure to use the right kind of rice flour, the fine ground variety and not the glutinous ground rice or regular ground. Also don’t confuse potato flour with potato starch, they are different. Substituting will affect the outcome of your waffles. If you happen to be lucky enough for leftovers, they also freeze very nicely. To save time, mix the dry ingredients and store them. When ready simply add the wet ingredients. Serve with your favorite fruit, soy yogurt and smother it in agave or maple syrup…YUMMY! Note: Sorry, this recipe does not work for pancakes.

Wheat Free, Dairy Free Waffles
2/3 cup Rice Flour ( fine ground)
1/2/ cup Potato Starch
1 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
8 tbsp Non Dairy Butter (I use Earthblend), melted and cooled slightly
1 2/3 cup Soy Milk “Buttermilk” *
1 Egg
1 Egg Whites
2 tbsp Agave

Spray or oil your waffle iron.
Sift all the dry ingredients together.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks and Egg whites together.
Add in cooled melted butter, buttermilk and agave.
Stir wet ingredients into the dry. Batter will be very thin.
Place a ladle full into waffle iron and cook until steam stops. Slowly lift top cover. If the waffles are cooked, you will have less resistance when trying to lift the cover. If it is difficult to lift
Your waffles are not done, leave in and continue to test. You should get the hang of it. This recipe will make about 6-8 square waffles.

*To make a soy “buttermilk”, take a cup of soy milk and add a tsp of apple cider vinegar, let sit for 30 minutes till it curdles. You may also use rice milk.

Good News- Your Nonwheat Alternatives are Endless

2009-10-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you new to gluten free here are the flours to avoid that contain wheat derivatives– spelt, kamut, emmer, einkorn, wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed wheat protein, barley, rye and triticale (which is a cross between wheat and rye). Also avoid bromated flour, durum flour, enriched flour, farina, graham flour, self rising flour, semolina, white and plain flour. In general, it is also a good rule to avoid processed foods as they may contain hidden wheat such as products with soy sauce which can sometimes contain wheat in fermenting. Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food” suggests as a general rule to avoid any product with more than 5 ingredients. A good idea.

So what can you use? Well here is the great news – your repertoire of possibilities has now grown from the mundane to the exotic. Some flours I have used successfully in combination are flours made with amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat (no, this is not wheat and one of my favorite flours), cassava, corn, flax, legume flours (fava, garbanzo etc.), millet, potatoes, nuts, quinoa, rice (brown, white and sweet rice), sago, sorghum, soy, tapioca, teff and yucca. Quite impressive a selection!

Oh, don’t forget the nut based flours like pecan, almond, soy, sesame, walnut,etc. All these range in crumb from the thickness of meal fours to the powdery quality of fine coursed nut flours. You will be amazed at how many options there are, just try browsing any of your local ethnic food stores.

What this means is that we have a world to explore and until the rest of the industrial world catches up In the meantime, enjoy the discovery of new foods!

Fish and Chips (England)

2009-10-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile you have a craving for good old fish and chips. Delicate crispy pieces of fried batter dipped cod that melts in your mouth. This GF recipe is so crunchy and perfect that no one even guessed it was GF. The trick is to keep the cod crispy in the oven after frying it. In this recipe, I used soy milk versus the beer to avoid any possibility of wheat fermentation although you can use rice or almond milk as well.

1.5 lbs cod
1¼ cup brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
¾ cup soy milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 250 F. Cut, fish into chunks, wash in cold water and pat dry.
Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Mix soy milk and eggs together then stir into dry ingredients mixing till smooth.
Dip fish in batter mix and let sit for 15 minutes.
Heat oil to 350F. Place small batches of fish at a time into oil to keep temperature hot. Turn fillets to cook both sides, leave in till golden brown (6-8 minutes),
Place on paper towels to drain. Remove paper towels and place in oven until ready to serve. Serve with vinegar for a true English experience.

Millenium, San Francisco

2009-10-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

For 15 years Millenium has served up some very special foods to appeal to the vegetarian in all of us. Located a few blocks up from Union Square in The Hotel California on Geary Street, this restaurant will not disappoint. Under the direction of Eric Tucker, his team uses the produce of the season to impress and astound his patrons with the scrumptious ever changing menu. Even the most die hard carnivore will reconsider. From the Merguez Grilled Portabello Mushroon to the Teff Crepes to non dairy mousses and puddings, almond cashew crust filled with mocha chocolate filling, dinner was divine. Best of all, the staff is accommodating and knowledgeable about any food allergies one might have offering gluten, lactose free suggestions. Enjoy!

The Darker Side of Eating Wheat

2009-09-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Generations ago wheat had a 50% lower gluten content and was cultivated mostly in Southwest Asia before spreading to Europe. Rice, corn, sorghum and millet were the norm in countries across the world. Today, wheat crops have genetically become very complex to allow for improved storage and improved baking. In fact, the genome for everyday wheat bread is 6.5 times larger than that of the human genome! That complexity gives it a massive number of proteins, each with a potential to cause symptoms.

It is estimated that 1 in 133 Americans of European descent may have the disease with over 1 million people in the US with undiagnosed celiac. In people who have gluten sensitivity or celiac, their bodies cannot absorb the vitamins and nutrients of the food they eat due to the immune system damaging the villi or the tiny walls in the intestine. Symptoms for celiac run the gamut from autoimmune system diseases like arthritis, lupus to allergic conditions like psoriasis, asthma, skin rashes to neurologic syndromes like depression and conditions like autism (which seems to respond best to a gluten free diet). Unfortunately for reasons not understood celiac disease can come on at any time in life and is believed to be hereditary.

Thankfully the foods that one can eat are numerous. I mentioned in a previous blog that looking at the vast array of foods that one can eat rather than ones that you cannot is not only a healthier approach but also opens one up to try a world of food from other cultures where many live without wheat. Focusing on what we can have than what we cannot makes the journey much more interesting.

A GF Venezuelan Treat

2009-09-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Occasionally a drive to the Napa Valley Oxbow market is a must to satisfy a craving for the Venezuelan "sandwiches" called chachapas and arepas at the informal Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. Chachapas and arepas are traditional foods available at roadside stands in Venezeula.Both are made from corn and shaped into pancakes or wrapped in dry corn leaves and boiled. Chachapas are slightly thicker than arepas due to the corn kernel pieces added to the batter. Naturally gluten free, they are traditionally eaten with a soft mozzarella type cheese. A close cousin, the arepas are grilled corn flour flatbreads which are crunchy on the outside and moist and sweet on the inside. Both are simply made of corn, water and salt which makes it a perfect GF treat. The sweetness of the corn dough is a wonderful complement to the different fillings whether savory or sweet.

At Pica Pica they serve a trendy versions like one filled with good old American ham and cheese to a unique vegetarian California blend of tofu, avocado, black beans, cheese and plantain bananas to a scrambled Venezulan egg. All are delicious and can be made easily at home with your favorite filling. Here is a GF, lactose and sugar free version of arepas you can easily make at home.

Venezuelan Arepas

1. Mix together 1 cup cornmeal and 1/4 tsp salt. (if you can have dairy, you can add a 1/2 cup of cheese with this mix)

2. Heat 1 cup soy, rice or nut milk till warm (microwave it takes about 40 seconds).

3. Mix in 2 tbsp earthblend or any non dairy butter (you can also use grapeseed oil) to the milk.

4. Stir milk into cornmeal to make a thick batter.

5. Add 1/2 cup corn kernels, 1/4 cup green onions, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro to mix.

6. Let batter sit for 15 minutes or until it forms a thick dough.

7. Form into 3 to 4 inch balls then flatten with the palm of your hand until you create flat discs about 1/2 an inch thick (You can refrigerate at this point until ready to cook)

8. Heat about 3 tbsp oil in a skillet, add discs and cook till golden. Takes about 5 minutes for one side, flip to other side and cook another 3 minutes. When cool enough, split open and fill.

Don't be Afraid to Try...

2009-08-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Gluten free baking works best when you don’t have any preconceived notions as to what dishes should look and taste like. Pretend you have a blank slate before you, this mind set leaves you open to experiment freely and have fun doing it. My kitchen freezer is filled with both good and failed samples. My liberating moment came when I recently tried to copy a lemon GF torte I bought at a bakery which sells each tiny piece for $5 a piece. After reading the ingredient list, I set to work finding something similar. After eleven, yes 11 tries, I came up with something similar. That is the texture, weight, appearance and of course, taste is close to the original. Unfortunately, that something similar was loaded and I mean loaded with sugar! I now find the product so revolting I can’t get myself to buy what was once my favorite treat.

I decided to turn my thinking around. If I had no notion of what a lemon torte tasted like could I make something that was just plain good on it’s on. Say, you were the first person in existence who had an oven, ingredients and you just wanted to make something good. Without the constraints of keeping to the formula, this new found freedom allowed me to develop more creative and better cakes than the original. I was no longer confined to just cornstarch or rice flour but could now open up to use amaranth, teff, buckwheat, fava flours. The sugar alternatives like maple, coconut, tapioca, brown rice were now part of an exciting repertoire of tastes.

All that said, there is no need to reinvent the proverbial baking wheel. Follow a good recipe, pay attention how your different flours behave when baked, how your different sugars affect the mouth feel and structure, how your baked goods will be leavened to hold height. Try substituting one ingredient at a time – take pictures and notes of your results. Most of all have fun, don’t think of the substitution as being a bad thing but a chance to possibly make an already good dish great. In the next few months, we can discover new ingredients together and you can suggest anything you’ve tried. All us collectively, can try different things in our search, sharing and learning as we go. We have at our disposal more varieties than a regular baker so go out bravely and have a great time discovering!!

Asian Rice Tea Cakes (Philippines)

2009-08-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Traditionally eaten during afternoon tea or “merienda”, this traditional Filipino cake called “Bibingka Galapong” is extremely easy to make. This cake is very similar to the “Bebinca”, a pudding like dessert from Goa, India which is made with wheat flour, sugar, clarified butter (or ghee) and coconut milk although the Philippine version is gluten free. Bibingka is typically baked in a round pan lined with a banana leaf, sprinkled with cheese and pieces of salted cured duck egg topped with grated coconut and sugar prior to serving. The egg is known as a “red egg” since the shell is painted red to distinguish it from plain duck eggs. The contrast of the slightly salty egg with the creaminess of the cheese on a sweet rice cake gives it a unique flavor. The red eggs and the banana leaves are readily available in Asian market,

I have made the recipe healthier substituting the white rice flour with brown rice flour and the sugar with agave syrup for results that will fool even the most seasoned baker to crave this healthier alternative.

Healthy “Bibingka”

½ cup agave syrup
2 Tbsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup brown rice flour
2 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
Grated coconut
Salted duck egg (optional)
A soft cheese like brie (optional) or vegan cream cheese
Banana leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a round 9 inch pan. You may line to pan with banana leaves as shown in the photo. If you do this, you will not need to butter the pan.
Mix agave and eggs in a bowl.
Add baking powder, flour, and salt.
Mix in coconut milk.
Pour into pan.
At this point you may sprinkle the red eggs and cheese on top should you choose though not critical. Bake 15-18 minutes till toothpick in center comes out clean. Generously place grated coconut on top to taste.

Agave Nectar – A Natural Low Glycemic Alternative

2009-08-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

In the last several years I’ve used agave primarily for most of my dessert recipes because of its low glycemic value. The glycemic index is a measurement for how a food impacts blood sugar levels. Foods with a glycemic index of under 55 typically are low glycemic foods. As an example, an apple has a glycemic index of 54 while 2 tablespoons of agave is 30. Foods with a higher glycemic index typically will have carbohydrates that the body converts quickly into sugar causing the sugar spike we are all familiar with. However, agave DOES have calories and carbohydrates. Caloric count is 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar.

The chemical composition of agave differs significantly from other sweeteners. Where table sugar is primarily sucrose, agave can contain up to 90% fructose, 10 % sucrose depending on where you source your agave. Agave grows in dry regions, notably Southern Mexico and resembles the aloe vera plant. There are several varieties available – light, amber and dark depending on the amount of heat used in syrup production. The variety to use will depending on how you want the final product to look – honey colored to a toasty brown shade.

Agave is typically 40% sweeter than sugar so for recipes you can use less. I have found that in substituting table sugar in baking, a 30% reduction is sufficiently sweet. So 1 cup of sugar will mean about 2/3 cup agave. Since agave adds moisture to your recipe, you may also have to cut your liquids in the recipe by ¼ or 25%. Because it browns quickly, reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees and increase your baking time slightly.

Some recipes will not lend itself well to agave substitutions as it may change the moisture content significantly enough to cause an unstable product. Meringues or meringue based products are particularly difficult as the agave tends to weep more than sugar. In these cases, you can do a hybrid mix of half sugar and half agave. You may need several tries to get your recipe as close to the original but you will find the substitution will work beautifully for a variety of recipes.

An Italian Classic - Potato Gnocchi

2009-07-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

I ran across this really great GF gnocchi this week. It’s very easy to make and you can serve it to friends who aren’t GF. They won’t know the difference. This recipe will feed 4. You can serve it with a pesto sauce with some toasted pignoli. Pictured here is toasted garlic. Make sure you use potato starch and not flour in this recipe. I always keep some handy in the freezer when guests come.

You will need:
1 lb potatoes (about one large potato)
½ cup white rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 egg

1. Boil the potatoes till tender. When cool, peel and chop into pieces place in a electric mixer.
2. Mix slowly all remaining ingredients with potato to form a stiff dough. The dough should form a ball and hold together when held in your hand. Remember you will need to roll this out so consistency is important especially when dealing with gluten free mixes.

Note: If your dough is dry and does not form a ball (could be caused by the moisture in the potato you use I used Russett or even the size of the egg you use), you may need to sprinkle broth to get the dough to hold together. Sprinkle it a teaspoon at a time and mix till you reach a consistency where you can grab a ball full of dough and it holds together. Use sparingly or you will end up with a watery dough which will fall apart when rolled and when boiled will fall apart. Best to keep the dough on the dry side with only enough wetness to hold it together when squeezed into a ball in your hand.

3. Take about a fistful of dough and roll out on a table with a little rice flour (sprinkled on the table to prevent sticking). Roll back and forth your dough, moving your hands slowly apart till you form a long tube a little smaller than a quarter.

4. Cut strip into ¾ inch pieces as pictured. Let the gnocchi rest and dry on dish towels till ready to cook. If you aren’t going to cook it immediately, you can freeze them sealed in a Ziploc bag and it will keep about 2 weeks.

6. Boil enough water to drop in gnocchi. Drop in gnocchi slowly, separating as they go in the water. Remove immediately as soon as they float, this takes about 2-3 minutes.

7. Drain well and run under cold water to prevent further cooking.

8. Add your favorite sauce and serve.

A Must Read for the Gluten Free world -"The Ultramind Solution" by Mark Hyman MD

2009-07-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

For anyone who is food allergic and has been looking for an alternative solution to the brain fog, attention deficit, mood swings, acid reflux, autoimmune diseases, skin allergies and inflammation problems, this book is a must read. It is especially helpful if you’ve tried the conventional medicine approach and nothing has worked. Dr. Hyman takes a holistic approach to understanding how nutrition, simple changes in diet like the elimination of gluten and casein, with the proper balance of amino acids and vitamins can drastically change your health.

He explains how nearly 70 million people suffer from some form of digestive disorder with the cost of treating the disorders medically at $107 billion per year. New research in the prestigious journal “Science” confirms the connection of what you eat and how you feel that is being ignored by the rest of medicine. Filled with numerous stories of his patients who have benefited from his elimination diet of wheat and casein, the book is inspiring. One study cites the link between eating gluten to everything from depression to anxiety to autism and even dementia.

If 60% of the immune system is in the gut, it’s hard to not believe that for those individuals who have trouble with absorption through an imbalance of nature’s digestive building blocks be it genetic or acquired, enhancing their bodies ability to perform at normal levels through the proper amino acids, minerals and vitamins can only have a healing effect. This thinking aligns itself with the latest book by Michael Pollan called “In Defense of Food” who talks about how the food we eat is processed to the point where it is low in fiber and nutrients and rich in sugar and additives. Pollard describes nations of obese people who are also malnourished. Both books cite the importance of the Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet which sadly is stripped from our commercial food to extend shelf life - another reason for making food from scratch.

I have been trying the amino acids and vitamins (of course, along with the wheat and casein diet) for the last 5 days now. Today was the first day I had woken up in years without the usual stuffed up nose and finger stiffness– a very, very rare no medication day. Placebo effect – I doubt it. In any case, this regiment is something that I will continue especially if 5 days into it the effects are already slowly showing. This makes the search for gluten free and healthy foods even more exciting and important.

Also looks like he's got a website - www.ultramind.com

Ahh..FinallyWhipped Cream

2009-07-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in the “Gluten Free Finds in Vienna” post, a non dairy product that is as delicious as real whipped cream under the name “SoyAToo”. This is the real deal. Without the junky ingredients of "Cool Whip" , whip it up and you got lots of volume without the soy taste. Check out how fluffy this looks. With each mouthful, you’d swear this was whipped cream. Whole Foods sometimes carries the spray can version which begs for a better delivery system ( you can’t get the cream out of without sawing the canister in half, which sadly I’ve done). If you can get the box version, it will be worth your while otherwise clamor for it at your grocery.

Gluten Free Finds in Vienna

2009-07-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

Our search continues for gluten free inspiration of the world's classic dishes and these few weeks we are in Austria. Austrian desserts are plain and simple, beautiful to behold. A trip to the famous Demel’s bakery embodies the tradition that makes these desserts famous throughout the world. At the back of the restaurant, a glass enclosed area allows you to watch the chefs create their masterpieces. The creation of large 50 portion size strudels every 15 minutes is fascinating to watch as the chefs stretch the fabric like dough around freshly cut and flavored apples.(I'll publish the apple strudel recipe in an upcoming blog.) Unfortunately, it was difficult to find GF/CF desserts at Demels but the desserts are a feast for the eyes.

My search in Vienna, Austria for gluten free goodies was rewarded on a trip down the “Naschmarkt” the local market one Sunday morning. This is foodie heaven! A sea of stalls from the local fruit and vegetable farmers, European meat & Mediterranean seafood vendors and specialties from the Middle East and Baltic States will not disappoint your craving for any type of food.

My search was focused on alternative GF/CF foods which I found at almost the end of the market, a green and yellow painted store called “Biowelt at Naschmarkt” - the Austrian version of the health food store. Behind the glass case stood the camera shy owner proudly displaying her beautiful variety of cookies and pastries many gluten, lactose or sugar free. The case held beautiful “Florentiner” cookie studded with nuts (deliciously gluten and egg free), heart shaped "Dinkelherz" cookies which were wheat and yeast free, vegan “Linzer Auge”, triangular lactose free “Nussecke” as well as cookies made with dinkel or spelt flour. The store also had a good variety of gluten free flours, pastas, rice and milk free products. Definitely worth a trip especially if you are spending an extended time in Vienna.

I also found a product called “SoyAToo” a boxed un-refrigerated whipping cream from Tofutown.com in Wiesbaum, Germany. I’ve used this product a few times when I’ve been lucky enough to find it in California with superior results. Just enough natural stabilizers make this soy product whip up very impressively and used as a side to your gluten free apple strudel. You can probably try your local Whole Foods if you are searching for a alternative non dairy whipped cream.

Celebration of Austrian Desserts

2009-06-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

We’ll start our tour of worldwide desserts in Austria. Many of the famous recipes we know today date back to before the 16th century probably the best known among tourists being the Apple Strudel. Up to the Renaissance, most desserts in Europe were made with honey as sugar was only affordable by the wealthy. Other famous Austrian desserts are the Sacher Torte first created at the Sacher Hotel, the Dobostorte named after European nobility and the Salzburg Nockerl said to celebrate the 3 small hills (or “Nockerln”) in the town of Salzburg near the Austrian border.

I’ll feature the Salzburger Nockerl because it is one of the most memorable desserts you can have in Austria, no one seems to ever forget the delicate 3 mounds of meringue on a bed of red raspberry sauce. Best of all, it is gluten free, low in sugar (only 4 tbsp) and easy to make. I use agave for most of my recipes whenever possible as it has one of the lowest glycemic values of the natural sugars without being chemically processed like Splenda. (More on agave on a future blog.) For this recipe, a little sugar must be used for the meringue to avoid weeping of the meringue after baking. The final result will have a soufflé like texture and taste light and heavenly.

Prepare the Raspberry Jam
2 baskets of organic fresh raspberries
¼ cup agave nectar
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup fresh orange juice
Mix half the raspberries, the agave nectar, lemon and orange juice in a pan. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes whisking to break apart berries. Remove from heat and add the remaining strawberries and coat. Set aside

Preheat overn to 400 degrees F.

Pour the warm jam into a baking dish. Oval, rectangular or square dishes are fine as long as they are large enough to fit 3 mounds of meringue.

For the Salzburger Nockerln
5 egg whites
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp powdered sugar or bakers sugar
1 tsp tapioca flour, sifted
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
Grated peel of 1 lemon

Mix together the 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, tapioca flour, Grand Marnier and lemon peel in a bowl.
In a mixing bowl beat together the egg whites with 3 tbsp of the sugar until stiff but not dry.
Take 1/3 of the meringue mixture and fold into the egg yolk mixture till blended. Fold remaining meringue in mixture.
Spoon meringue in 3 even mounds over the raspberry jam.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and enjoy immediately. Top with sifted powder sugar if desired.

In Search of A Decent Piece of Bread

2009-06-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest frustrations with being GF is having decent bread. You know, bread that you can put in your toaster, top with jam or stuff with your favorite savory filling with mayo, lettuce and tomato. Gluten free store bought bread is often dry, crumbly and tasteless. All have the taste of compromise not quite meeting the gold standard of what bread should taste like. Wheat, with its complex DNA, gives bread that elasticity and depth that makes it comfort food for us. In these blogs, I will share with you tested recipes for artisan tasting bread as well as commercial products tried which come close. You can finally enjoy cutting into your own loaf of bread packed with nutritious gluten free flours.
Enjoy!

Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Wonderful Bread

After trying several packaged bread products, this one is truly impressive. With only 2 grams of sugar and loaded with over 5 different gluten free flours, this bread is a snap to make. You only need to add eggs, oil, your favorite milk (soy, rice or cow) and vinegar. The package comes with a pack of yeast requiring only a 5 minute proofing. The rising time recommended is 30 minutes although I like to go a full hour. Dough rises beautifully. (I admit not smoothing the top of these loaves with a wet spatula to give it a flatter surface before baking).

Out of the oven, the bread browns beautifully, the crust is crunchy and the center is slightly porous and elastic.

The crumb is firm but moist with a somewhat sweetish taste similar to Portuguese sweet bread.

This bread is worth the wait and can be shared with even your non gluten sensitive friends. They would never guess it was gluten free!

Note: Bread can be stored in the freezer immediately after baking. Use it within a week, thaw for about 2 minutes in the microwave and toast. After a week in the freezer the bread will become noticeable crumbly and dry.

The Gluten Free Traveler

2009-06-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Travel remains one of the most challenging aspects of being gluten free. We learn to pack our carefully prepared cookies and snacks for the long plane ride hoping that our goodies will last the one or two week trek across foreign soil. Our only wish upon arrival is that an overzealous immigration official doesn’t consider our neatly sealed baggie – contraband and disrespectfully tosses it in the food trash bin.

We don’t want to have to feel “special” traipsing through the globe. We want to work our meals seamlessly into our travel, without the slightest hint of hardship when considering what is safe to eat. The good news is that it shouldn’t be approached as a challenge but rather part of the travel experience. Think of it as an opportunity to expand your food horizons beyond the safety of what you already know. Imagine expanding or adjusting your food repertoire to be as diverse as the flours you use when you went gluten, lactose or sugar free.

Gluten free savory foods and main dishes are abundant in most places in the world but wheat dishes seem to be everywhere!! As a pastry chef, my focus will be on the more difficult conversions making traditional desserts healthful and gluten free. If you do discover an exotic dessert in your travels, perhaps we can share the knowledge on making these treats delectable at home!

Welcome to a Gluten, Lactose and Low or No Sugar Journey!

2009-05-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

Living with food allergies has been the bane of my existence. At 5 years old, I remember the sensation of slowly falling to the ground, my head bouncing on the pavement but feeling no pain. Like film shot in slow motion the world is upright, tilts horizontally, then the floor becomes your horizon - no pain, just the strangest sensation of falling without a net. I fainted. Growing up in Hawaii, in a family whose social network revolved around food, I was diagnosed with malnutrition. Malnutrition caused by the malabsorption of critical nutrients due to food allergies.

From there it was a lifetime of feeling left out in children's birthday parties as they enjoyed birthday cakes and ice cream, not being able to think clearly on most days at school as I watched words jumble on a page - desperately reading the same sentence over and over again to increase clarity. This was life through a food allergic child's eyes.

Thirty Five years later, I've had a myriad of diagnosis from asthma, stomach and skin irritations, chronic runny nose, joint stiffness and dyslexia. I've been treated with everything from steroids to powerful muscle relaxants, new drugs you slip under the tongue at the "onset of stomach cramps along with the latest steroid cocktails to make everyday breathing easier. After years of traditional medicine, my search ended in what I know now was the culprit - wheat, lactose and sugar.

As a pastry chef, you can imagine how this poses a challenge. These are the staples of baking, the foundation of all successful pastries!!

So this is where the journey begins, I want to share my knowledge and discoveries as I travel the world in search of food from different countries that use alternative ingredients as part of their food culture. Recipes that use no gluten or milk as these products were not generic to their environment. Recipes sometimes handed down through generations. You will discover, as I have, a culinary adventure.

Most importantly, for those of you like myself who have suffered from food restrictions or who have children who suffer from food allergies or autism, this blog will not leave you wanting for that piece of warm bread at breakfast or that birthday cake and ice cream you couldn't eat. Join me in this global culinary journey as I share my discoveries. I invite you to share your thoughts as well as we discover the world's gluten free foods...

tia