Wednesday
My First Online Gluten Free Order
Today I received my gluten free order from the Hospital for Sick Children's Speciality Food Shop. Not only is shipping FREE for Ontario, but my order showed up in only 3 days! They offer a wide selection of Gluten Free products to choose from. So much so that they gained a new loyal customer. I was also really happy to read that ALL of the purchase proceeds directly support patient care and research at the hospital.
As you can see, I ordered a lot from the Simply Good Line. I stumbled across it on Amazon.com but was disappointed to find out they don't ship it to Canada. So I did some research and came across a review of the cupcake mix by Celiac Baby!. This made me want to order it even more. She let me know that Nut'N Gluten in Vaughan carries the cupcake mix. Unfortunately I probably won't get out that way anytime soon. Always good to know for future reference though! No giving up here. I e-mailed Simply Good (known as Well & Good in the lines Australian home). The response was awesome. I was informed that the line is available through The Healthy Planet in Pickering Ontario and online at the Specialty Food Shop (Sick Kids Hospital, Toronto).
Friday
Celiac Cure In Our Future?
There has been chatter lately of a scientific breakthrough regarding Celiac Disease. Researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne Australia have been working on a vaccine. One that is showing favorable results! The first phase of this clinical trial is now complete. Essentially the vaccines goal is to desensitise the bodies reaction to gluten, thus avoiding toxic rejection.
Photo by dzingeek available under CC (by-nc-nd) |
Key Points to remember
- Phase 1 studies show that the vaccine is safe and well tolerated
- This vaccine could treat up to 90% of people with Celiac Disease
- Phase 2 trials to take place within the next 10 months
- Vaccine name : Nexvax2
Would YOU take this vaccine?
Feelings seem fairly mixed. I'm not sure if it's just people who are against vaccines in general or if some people really feel that a GF diet is sufficient. I have thought deeply about this. For me personally, maintaining a strict GF diet is not and should not be the end of the road. I WANT A CURE! Following a GF diet is difficult and costly at the best of times. Even with caution, slip ups happen. It is virtually impossible to live a 100% Gluten Free life. I read every label but manufactures change ingredients without notice from time to time. Cross contamination does happen in restaurant's even with GF menus. It sucks but its part of life.
We deserve a cure. Right? Perhaps we need an advocate for Celiac Disease. Someone with the power to be heard. Someone who will campaign for us and make the issue a household name.
We deserve a cure. Right? Perhaps we need an advocate for Celiac Disease. Someone with the power to be heard. Someone who will campaign for us and make the issue a household name.
Top to bottom: Coated in bread crumbs, frying in the pan, and ready to eat =) |
I made chicken nuggets from scratch recently. This is not normally something I crave but I figured what the heck and gave it a try. In all honesty, I don't normally work with raw meat so I was a bit nervous. I'm pretty happy I put my fear aside as they turned out to be quite moist and yummy! The only thing I would like to play around with is the bread crumbs. Although tasty, they did need more seasoning.
Ingredients you will need
- 3 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Cup of GF flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of your favourite Herb Seasoning or Garlic Powder
- 1 Egg & 1/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil, whisked together
- 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 of Vegetable Oil for pan frying.
Prep
- Tenderise chicken if you like. I placed the chicken breasts in between 2 sheets of wax paper and used mallet to pound them.
- With a sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts into the nugget size of you choosing
- Now you will need 3 separate shallow containers ( I used Tupperware ). For container one, combine GF flour, salt, pepper and seasonings. In container 2 whisk together egg and vegetable oil. In container combine GF bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Place the chicken strips in flour mixture and coat evenly. Next, dip chicken into the egg/vege oil mixture and finally coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture in container 3.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place chicken strips on top. Then place in fridge for 30-40 min before frying.
- Heat vegetable oil on med high heat. and add chicken strips. Cook each side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
As you will see from the photo, I paired my chicken nuggets with steamed veggies, a warm Queijo and some apple butter dipping sauce. The left over nuggets that we didn't eat went into the freezer for a future meal.
Wednesday
Awesome Homemade Gluten Free Bread
.
I make my own Gluten Free bread and I love the rewarding experience it has become.
For years I ate and accepted sub-par store bought bread. You know what I'm talking about- the frozen, tasteless brick that is dense and could break a window when thawed. I had heard the horror stories about baking Gluten Free bread at home. For a long time I had not dared to attempt it myself.
Why did I finally decide to make my own bread at home? The rising cost of food in general, not just the GF food cost increase.This gave me the boost I needed to try baking my own bread. A little bit of inspiration can go a long way.Good bye $7.99 a loaf of bread.
On to the bread making. Being new to it I decided to try mixes instead of making the bread from scratch. The first bread mix I purchased was an epic failure and danced right into the garbage can. Disappointed I was, but not enough to give up. Round two with a new mix was slightly better but not the quality I was looking for. Instead of throwing my creation into the garbage I decided to find another purpose for it. Stuffing it became! Easily made and easily frozen for future use. This made me realize there are a few ways to re-purpose bread that does not turn out well. So if your bread ever fails, try making not only stuffing but croutons or bread crumbs.
By chance, I stumbled upon Duinkerken White Sandwich Bread Mix.Hoping luck would be on my side this time, I purchased a box. It turned out to be a beautiful beginning. This mix makes light and airy sandwich bread! Not only is it delicious, the texture is just like "normal" bread! Finally a bread that I don't have to "toast" to eat!
Its so easy to make! I blend this mix in my BeauMark Mixer with the dough blade. Add yeast to the mixture and give it a good blend. Then add 2 eggs (room temp), oil and water. That easy! Pour the mixture which should be fairly wet looking, into bread pan that has been greased /sprayed with cooking spray. I dip my spatula in water a few times while smoothing the top of the loaf. I then make a crease in the middle of it. After this I put the loaf in a dark place to rest for about 45 minutes. Then into the oven it goes.
Its so easy to make! I blend this mix in my BeauMark Mixer with the dough blade. Add yeast to the mixture and give it a good blend. Then add 2 eggs (room temp), oil and water. That easy! Pour the mixture which should be fairly wet looking, into bread pan that has been greased /sprayed with cooking spray. I dip my spatula in water a few times while smoothing the top of the loaf. I then make a crease in the middle of it. After this I put the loaf in a dark place to rest for about 45 minutes. Then into the oven it goes.
***After a few tries with this bread, I decided to alter a few things. I added 2 tablespoons of honey and
1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar to the mixture. I find it adds the right amount of sweetness.
***I bake the bread for 1 hour instead of 45 minutes. In my oven it needs the full hour. Taking it right out of a hot oven and cooling in on the counter is a bit of a shock to the loaf. This small trick prevents the bread from sinking: when baking time is up, I turn off the oven and leave the door closed until the temperature inside cools down to room temperature. This helps prevent the loaf from sinking.
Chewy,delicious,and mouth watering are just some of the ways I can describe Queijos Also known as Brazilian Cheese buns, these treats are super tasty! Be creative and play around with the recipe. You will find that the Queijos (pronounced Kay-Joe) are yummy with an array of flavours. I love baking these! Like most things I bake the Queijos are indeed freezer friendly. They make a great side for hot meals especially if you like to have a "bun" of sorts to dip with. Personally, I love how convenient they are for an on the go snack. Pop one into the microwave and out you go with a delicious treat!
Recipe makes about 8 servings
Preheat Oven to 375
2 Cups Tapioca Flour
1/2 Cup Olive Oil or Butter
1/3 Cup Water
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Minced Garlic
2/3 Cup Grated Marble Cheese
2 Beaten Eggs
Additional Options include : Sun dried tomato and basil, Jalapeno and cheese, Cheese alone. You could even turn the Queijos into a pizza pocket of sorts by filling it with your favourite pizza toppings.
Pour olive oil, milk and salt into saucepan. Place on high heat.When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Stir in the Tapioca flour and Garlic until smooth. Set aside and let rest for 15 minutes.
Stir in egg and cheese until well combined. The mixture will look chunky like cottage cheese. Scoop out mixture and place on baking pan. I use my hand but you can use anything from an ice cream scoop to a ladle to get the proportion you like.
Bake 15-20 minute on un greased baking pan until slightly brown.
Note: The resting period is necessary to prevent the cheese from becoming a greasy mess in the oven. Trust me, it happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)