My little boy has been teething, which has ruined his appetite. I have been trying to get him to eat by making his favorite things. Tonight, I concocted this casserole because he will normally eat anything as long as it includes tomato sauce and cheese. That is my secret to get Jude to eat his vegetables. However, tonight he could not be tricked and his dinner was stirred and flung several times with a fork before my husband finally took it away from him. It is still on the wall. Once Jude is out of this phase, Dan will just be getting into it. Maybe I should re-think the tomato sauce. Or have the boys eat outside for a couple years.

BAKED EGGPLANT ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

2 14 oz. cans of Muir Glen tomato sauce

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon basil, crushed

2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of Tinkyada spaghetti, broken into small pieces

pinch of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

splash of balsalmic vinegar

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions:

Saute the onion, red pepper, and celery in olive oil until almost tender. Then add garlic-cook for about a minute. Add two cans of tomato sauce, the Worchestershire sauce, the balsalmic vinegar, sugar, salt, and basil. In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, layer 1/2 sauce mixture, then 1/2 broken spaghetti, then eggplant and zucchini, then mozzarella cheese, 1/2 broken spaghetti, remaining sauce, and top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake on 350 degrees for 50 minutes. For last ten minutes, uncover the casserole. You may wish to turn up the heat to brown the cheese (if using) in the last few minutes.

Serves about 6.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Vegetarian Recipes | 5 Comments »

I made almond orange marmalade muffins this morning in lieu of banana bread and they were so yummy. I based them on an old recipe I had from Smuckers with several alterations. By the way, Smuckers is wishy-washy about whether/which jams, marmalades, and jellies are gluten-free. Make your own or buy a brand you trust. If you have any information or experience with Smuckers products, feel free to leave a comment!

ALMOND ORANGE MARMALADE MUFFINS

1/2 cup ground almonds (I used my Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor to grind the almonds)

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup gf orange marmalade

4 Tablespoons of butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, ground almonds, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine 2 beaten eggs, milk, almond extract, marmalade, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin tin about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

ICING

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

3 Tablespoons of marmalade

water to desired consistency

Warning: The icing is very sticky!!

Directions:

Mix the top three ingredients until moistened and add water until you have the desired consistency. Frost muffins when cool if desired.

Makes 12-18 muffins.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Muffin Recipes | 10 Comments »

My first few months gluten-free were pretty typical. A few months after I went gluten-free, I got pregnant for the first time. A new diet and a new pregnancy were not a good mix for me. I was starving! I had not figured out the gluten-free thing yet at all. My husband and I bought the Bette Hagman cookbooks, but were too scared to embark on the adventure of gluten-free cooking yet. My mom, sensing my despair, came and stayed with me for a few weeks. She began to cook with the “exotic” flours and slowly I began to feel good again. Eating those comforting foods eased my morning sickness-thank goodness. One of our favorite recipes, Swedish Apple Torte, was from Bette Hagman’s More From the Gluten Free Gourmet.

Sea, over at Book of Yum, organized this tribute to Bette Hagman.

I would like to thank Bette Hagman for giving me the confidence to learn to cook gluten-free.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Bette Hagman | 6 Comments »

When I opened my blog this morning I found not one but three invitations for a meme! I was tagged by Jean at Gluten Free Organics, Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked,and Sheltie Girl at Gluten A Go Go. Maybe I could have gotten out of one, but not three! Just kidding. I have really enjoyed reading the memes on other blogs. There are so many interesting gluten-free bloggers out there! According to Wikipedia, a meme is a unit of cultural information that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action- think chain letter or email forward.

These are the rules:

• Once tagged, let others know who tagged you.

• Players are to list 8 random facts about themselves.

• Those who are tagged should post these rules within their meme-tag post.

• Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

Ok, here goes. No promises on interesting though!

1) I had a planned homebirth with my second son, Dan. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! Between going gluten-free and the homebirth I am on my way to hippie status…

2) I was an armybrat. My dad died in a helicopter crash when I was 19. He was on a POW/MIA recovery mission in Vietnam.

3) I majored in Linguistics at Baylor. Sic ‘em Bears!

4) My husband and I met in college. We really wanted to get married our senior year, but when we went to the courthouse it was Veteran’s Day. We got married exactly a year later in a church and had not one, but two big wedding receptions!

5) I once owned a flute that was worth more than my car.

6) I used to be a casualty claims adjuster (ewww) and it changed my law school plans for good.

7) All my exes live in Texas and that’s why I reside in…North Carolina.

8) My favorite cd is White Ladder by David Gray.

I hereby tag:

Krista at Going Gluten-Free

Bethany at Wavybrains

Marsha at Family Adventures

Slacker Mom at Mrs. G.F.’s Gluten Free Cookbook

a.c.e. at Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Wheat

GFCF Mommy at GFCF Mommy

Deborah at Play With Food

Lea at Lea is Gluten Free

And now the cookies! I have been eyeing these cookies in The Quick Recipe for quite some time. I made a couple of batches and finally found a wonderful gluten-free version. I replaced the flour with 1/4 of tapioca flour and 3/4 cup white rice flour. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum. I added more orange zest, reduced the cranberries, added walnuts, and rolled the cookies in brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. Next time I will try adding less sugar for more of a scone taste- cranberry orange scones are my favorite! These are great with an afternoon tea.

CORNMEAL CRANBERRY ORANGE COOKIES

1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal

3/4 cup of rice flour (I used white)

1/4 tapioca flour

1/2 cup of granulated sugar (you may want to reduce)

1/4 cup brown sugar plus some for rolling cookies

1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum

2 teaspoons orange zest

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 dried cranberries and 1/2 cup toasted pecans/or walnuts OR 3/4 cup cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a med. bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients including the orange zest. Add the cranberries and the pecans/walnuts. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the oil and the eggs. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Fill one small bowl with water and one with sugar. Dip your hands in the water and then roll each cookie in the sugar. The cookie should be about 2 tablespoons. Place on cookie sheet. Forms 12 big cookies. Bake for 14-18 minutes.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Cookie Recipes | 17 Comments »

For months now, my mom and my sister have been complaining of joint pain, headaches, and fatigue. I told them over and over, “It’s gluten!” I had begun to sound like a broken record and then I am afraid I began to sound like some kind of gluten conspiracy theorist. My sister went in to get tested and realized what a confusing mess getting a diagnosis is- Her doctor dismissed celiac disease completely without even discussing her symptoms! In my opinion, the first step to getting a good diagnosis is having a good doctor. I am afraid that natural health/preventative medicine types are few and far between! The doctor suggested IBS without so much as talking with my sister, running tests, or doing an examination. My sister did a lot of research and decided she could live without an official three-tiered diagnosis and has embarked on the gluten-free diet. Good luck, Caroline!

I support her decision partly because I made the same decision myself. Maybe one day, when I am far removed from my child-bearing years, I will seek a diagnosis, but for now I am content. I feel great. My health is great now and for me that is enough of a diagnosis. It is easier for me than for some because I had chronic urticaria (hives) as a result of eating gluten. I do not want to risk eating gluten for an extended period of time when I am pregnant or breastfeeding. And I do not want hives.

Two things made it almost impossible for me to figure out what was going on for almost a decade:

1) The ubiquity of gluten

2) A delayed immune response

3) Lack of information/ignorance of doctors about celiac disease/chronic urticaria.

Sometimes I envy those that have had an official diagnosis, but I know the result would be the same- going gluten-free has made me happy, healthy, and virtually hive-free! I am lucky because I have a great family practice doctor now. He does not like milk or gluten for anyone not just for celiacs or the gluten-intolerant. The prevalence of immune diseases in my family is enough reason for him to caution me about giving my boys milk and gluten, celiac or not. I must note here that I have not eliminated casein (although maybe one day I will), however I do not give my little ones cups of milk to drink (we drink water). I breastfed my toddler through his introduction to gluten until he weaned at 17 mos. I am hoping that neither of my boys will have problems with gluten or food allergies.

I am going to round out this post with a more positive note- dessert!. It is essential that I have chocolate and coffee together at least once a week- okay, maybe twice. I really am going on a diet and exercise regimen soon. I am giving myself six weeks before I look at the scale and start the gluten-free diet diet? and exercise challenge. haha. My goal is to be back at my pre-pregnancy weight by my birthday in November. Stay tuned.

This chocolate marble bread is based on a Martha Stewart recipe. I replaced the flour, added one teaspoon xanthan gum, and added 2 beaten egg whites.

CHOCOLATE MARBLE BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened, plus more for pan

1 1/4 cups GF flour (I used 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup white rice flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (5 oz. for bread and 3 oz. for ganache)

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4 large whole eggs plus 2 beaten egg whites w/stiff peaks

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your loaf pan. Sift flours, salt, xanthan gum and baking powder into a medium bowl.

Melt 5 ounces chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Do not overheat chocolate.

Put butter in the bowl of your stand electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. When you add sugar, raise to medium speed. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Mix in the 4 whole eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two batches of milk. Mix until just combined. Fold in your beaten egg whites gently.

Pour half of batter into melted chocolate and stir. Alternating between remaining plain batter and the chocolate batter, drop large spoonfuls of batter into the loaf pan. When pan is filled, use your knife to cut through batter with a swirling motion.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let bread cool slightly in pan on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of bread to loosen; unmold. Let cool completely on rack.

Tip: If your loaf sticks to the pan, hold the pan over a pot of boiling water for about a minute. Turn the loaf pan over and your bread should come out perfectly. If it doesn’t repeat until it does.

To Make ganache: Place the rest of the chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the heavy cream until just about to simmer. Pour cream over chocolate; stir until mixture is smooth. Let stand 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Spread ganache over cooled cake; let stand until set, about 1 hour. Bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Check out Mary Frances’ Gluten Free Cooking School blog this week, she is doing a how-to series on eggs that will help you make this recipe!

Please leave encouraging words for Caroline in the comments- it is her first week gluten-free!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Quick Bread Recipes | 25 Comments »