Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is a delicious treat for those cold days, or big get togethers.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C GF Flour
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 C Butter, softened
1/3 C Shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 bag chocolate chip*

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in order. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Makes 15 large cookies per batch.

*If you don't want chocolate chips, you can leave them out, or if you would rather use another flavor of chip you can. I always make them with chocolate chips personally.

Sweet BBQ Lil' Smokies

Another great Super Bowl Recipe!

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Lil Smokies
1 Cup BBQ sauce*
2/3 cup Grape Jelly

Directions:
Place all ingredients in small crock pot. Heat through and make sure the BBQ sauce and Grape Jelly. Then ENJOY!

* Make sure the BBQ sauce is gluten free. I use Sweet Baby Rays.

Baked Triple Veggie Dip!

Another Great Superbowl Recipe!

Ingredients*:
1 (1 lbs 3 oz.) can asparagus spears
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 (8.5 oz) can artichoke hearts (non-marinated)
1 (8 oz) pkg. Philly garden veggie light cream cheese spread
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (has to be full fat mayonnaise, low fat or fat free has gluten in it)
1-1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:
Drain asparagus and artichoke hearts. Thaw and rinse spinach. Mix all ingredients together except for 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Spoon mixture into 2 qt. oblong baking dish and sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake 35 min. at 375 degrees. Serve with crackers, breads or veggies.

*Get some good Gluten Free Crackers!

Hot Wing Dip!

This is great for Super Bowl Sunday! Or anything get together!

Ingredients*:
7-8 Chicken Breast Halves
14-16 oz. Hot Wing Sauce (I use Frank's Hot Wing Sauce)
8 oz. Cream Cheese
14-16 oz. Ranch Dressing (Make sure it is Gluten Free)
2 Cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions:
Boil Chicken Breasts, Shred and put in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Pour Hot Wing sauce over chicken. In a pan, warm cream cheese and dressing so that it is smooth, then put over chicken mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Make 350 degrees for 45 Minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

*Keep in mind to check the ingredients to ensure they are gluten free.

"Best Ever" Banana Bread

This recipe comes from my Mother. I did have to convert it to make it Gluten Free, but it turns out DELICIOUS! This recipe usually takes some planning before hand for the ripe bananas. Keep that in mind.

Ingredients:
1 C Shortening
2 C Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
6 large or 8 small ripe bananas, mashed*
3 1/3 C GF Flour
1 Tbsp. Xanthan Gum
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 C Buttermilk
Nuts or Chocolate Chips (optional)

Directions:
Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add Bananas. Add dry ingredients, then buttermilk. Add Nuts or Chocolate Chips (1 C chopped nuts or 1/2 bag mini chocolate chips). Pour into Greased Bread Pans. Bake at 325 Degrees F. Makes 2 large (1 hour) or 4 small (bake 45-50 minutes) or 12 mini (bake 27 min.) loaves.**

* I usually will freeze the bananas that are about to go bad and save them to make this recipe. If you need to make it but don't have any ripe bananas, go to the store and buy the ones that are about to go bad.
** As with most things people bake, it is important to understand cooking times may vary from oven to oven. Please check the breads by inserting toothpick into the top middle of the loaf to ensure it is done. If you pull it out too early, the top will collapse during cooling.

No Bake Cookies!!!

This is a pretty easy recipe, especially if you are having a sudden sugar craving!

Ingredients:
1/2 C Milk
2 C Sugar
4 T ( or 1/4 C) Cocoa
1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter
2 1/2 C GF Oatmeal*
Pinch of Salt

Directions:
Mix milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt together in large saucepan. Mix the ingredients together as it heats up. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. After it has boiled for 1 minute, stir in peanut butter. Finally mix in GF oatmeal. Roll out Wax Paper and scoop oatmeal mixture onto wax paper in the sizes you want. Allow to cool and enjoy.

* It is important to ensure your oatmeal is certified Gluten Free. Normal Oatmeal is processed on the same machines and grown in the same fields as wheat which increases the risk of cross contamination.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This is a wonderful recipe that my Wife and I enjoy very much. It is another easy soup that I like to make and freeze the leftovers if there are any.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp Butter
4 Chicken Bullion Cubes (Gluten Free)
2 Tbsp. Gluten Free Flour
1 Cup shredded Cheddar
3 Cups Milk
2 Cups *cooked broccoli

Directions:
Blend butter, flour, milk, broccoli in blender. Transfer to pan. Add bullion cubes, stir constantly, heat to thicken. Add cheese and cook just until cheese is melted.

*Make sure to not overcook the broccoli so that it doesn't turn into a mushy substance and lose even more nutritional value.

Baked Potato Soup

Today I experimented with making a new type of Gluten Free Bread, and needless to say it didn't turn out. I was able to get some good learning today though!

I did however have success with making a Baked Potato Soup that was gluten free!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
9 Baking Potatoes
2/3 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Gluten Free Flour (Check out my recipe for Gluten Free Flour)
6 Cups Milk
1/2 Tbsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup Bacon Bits (real Bacon)
4 Green Onions, Chopped
10 oz. Shredded Cheddar
8 oz. Sour Cream

Directions:
Prick Potatoes with a  fork and cook in the microwave, 3 to 4 at a time, and scoop out the flesh (while the others are cooking). I recommend 8-10 minutes for 1 potato and adding about 2/3rd's the time per extra potato. In a decent size soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes, salt, pepper, bacon bits, 2 tablespoons green onions and most of the cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Serve topped with cheese (more bacon and onions, too, if desired).

Note: This is a Very thick soup.

Gluten Free Flour

The mixture I use actually comes from a cookbook that I found online. It is very simple and easy to use.

Ingredients:
3 Cups Rice Flour (Brown or White)
2 1/2 Cups Corn Starch
1 1/2 Cups Tapioca Flour

Depending on the amount you need to make you can double or triple the batch to have some stored away.

Entertaining Someone with Celiacs Disease or a Gluten Intolerance

Ever invited someone over to dinner only to find that they have an allergy? And not just any allergy, but a Gluten allergy. First off, do not freak out. It isn't as confusing or hard as you may think. First lets learn from an article:

Entertaining A Gluten-Free Guest

The main things to keep in mind are cross contamination, low cost, and being open.

One thing I have learned very quickly from cooking for my wife is that even the slightest contamination of the ingredients, food, utensils, etc. will make her very sick. If you are going to be cooking for someone who is gluten free, but don't want to cook gluten free for everyone, keep these few things in mind:

1. Clean all utensils, pans/pots, and cooking surfaces
2. Prepare and cook the Gluten-Free food first
3. Keep it separated from other foods
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help
5. Openness is a great thing!

Second thing to keep in mind is Low Cost. Don't break the bank. It is a lot easier than you may think. At your local store, you will find Gluten Free options fairly easy. If you want to buy gluten free items, make sure that they are Certified Gluten Free. This is the logo that you want to see on the ingredient section of the item:

It is important to keep in mind that your friend or guest that has the allergy to gluten has some good ideas. Don't be afraid to ask them for help or ideas for dinner. They will be a great resource for you. Also keep in mind that just because the ingredient list does state clearly that it has wheat in it does not mean it is necessarily gluten free.

The more you continue to cook gluten free for other people, the more you will get used to reading ingredient labels, but let's start by looking at one right now:

                                                    

The Semolina Wheat Flour is found in the sub ingredients of an ingredient, which contains gluten. Read through the ingredients with everything that doesn't have a certified Gluten Free symbol on it. Check out this other post about what ingredients to look for and what items to pay extra close attention to:

Getting Started on a Gluten-Free Life

Getting Started on a Gluten-Free Life

So you are starting a gluten free diet? First off, don't freak out and be glad it didn't happen years ago before people became more aware of the issues with Gluten. It is becoming more and more common. Numbers show that about 1 in every 133 people have Celiacs Disease and 6 % of the US population has some sort of intolerance to gluten.

Gluten is found in a large amount of items across the product board. It is important to have some great resources that help you get started. Here are some great sources for getting started:

Getting Started: Celiac Disease & The Gluten-Free Diet

The Gluten-Free Diet

The main thing to keep in mind is to check everything. In a world of innovation and change, things constantly change. While one specific item may not be Gluten this month, it may change next month. And vise versa.

Let's look at a few things that have gluten in it, especially things that you may not think of:

Common ingredients that have Gluten:

• White Flour
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Durum Wheat
• Graham Flour
• Triticale
• Kamut
• Semolina
• Spelt
• Wheat Germ
• Wheat Bran

Common Foods that have Gluten:

• Pasta
• Couscous
• Bread
• Flour Tortillas
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Muffins
• Pastries
• Cereal
• Crackers
• Beer
• Oats (non certified Gluten Free Oats)
• Gravy
• Dressings
• Sauces

Common Items that many do not know have Gluten:

• Broths in soups
• Bouillon Cubes or Powder
• Breadcrumbs and Croutons
• Some Candies
• Fried Foods
• Imitation Fish
• Some Lunch Meats and Hot Dogs
• Malt
• Modified Food Starch *(see explanation below)
• Seasoned chips
• Seasoned snack foods
• Salad Dressings
• Self-basting Turkeys
• Soy Sauce
• Seasoned Rice and Pasta Mixes

Along with these understanding what to look for, it is important to understand that a package labeled Wheat-Free does not necessarily mean Gluten-Free. 

Modified Food Starch can or cannot be gluten free. The modified food starch may be from wheat or may be from corn. It is important to take into account the other ingredients. For my wife and I, if we see Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum in the ingredients, we usually feel safe testing it out and fingers crossed, haven't had any issues up until now. 

What exactly does Gluten do for Baking?

I am a firm believer of understanding things well before attempting to either substitute or change. When anyone is beginning to cook or bake gluten free, it is important to understand what Gluten is and what role it plays in cooking and baking. So let us begin there...

Gluten is a protein. Gluten is actually formed from two different proteins when water is introduced. The two other proteins are Gliadin and Glutenin. Gluten adds very important properties to dough, such as:

• increased dough strength
• better gas retention and elasticity, which gives products good structure and uniform shape to bread
• better water absorption and retention, improving yield, product softness and extending shelf life of bread
• enhanced flavor

Gluten plays a huge part in the proper forming of anything with wheat, so the challenge is how to simulate the role of Gluten when you have to live gluten free.

Getting To Know Me

Hello, my name is Kevin Downs. My wife was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease about 2 years ago and I vowed to ensure she could still have the same great taste as she did before. One of my big passions is cooking. I thoroughly enjoy researching and learning on how to be better at cooking and how to create some delicious recipes for my wife. I am actually a business major specializing in Organizational Behavior. I am 25 years old and have 2 wonderful children. I am originally from a smallish town in Indiana but currently live in Utah where I am working and attending college. I have set a goal this year of writing my own Gluten Free cookbook and am hoping to track my progress and share some recipes on here for all to see. I look forward to getting some responses and ideas as I start my journey.