Beat The Heat With A Smoothie

Today called for smoothie's to help us beat this heat! I went with what I had on hand for this recipe but there are many substitutions available at the grocery store.


Recipe:
2 1/2 Cups Frozen Mixed Berries 
(blackberries,blueberries,raspberries & strawberries)
2/3 Cup Milk
1Cup Apple Juice 
4 frozen Yoplait Minigo 


If the mix seems too thick, feel free to dilute it with water or juice.
This recipe made 4 "Popsicles", 3 drinks and filled an ice tray.
On a side note.... Frozen Yoplait Minigo's on their own make a delicious treat as well.

10 Things On A Thursday

Some staples in my Gluten Free pantry

In no particular order....

1. All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
2. Tapioca Flour
3. Corn Starch
4. Quinoa Flakes
5. Milled Flaxseed
6. Bread Mix
7. Muffin Mix
8. Bob's Red Mill Hot Cereal (GF)
9. Cooking Oil/Spray
10. Pancake Mix

Thank - You General Mills Canada!

Some month's ago, I had sent an e-mail to General Mills Canada. I inquired if and when their Gluten Free line, that is in America, would hit Canadian shelves. Unfortunately, at the time, they  were not able to give me any confirmed information on the subject. Then last week, I received a wee package in the mail. I could not believe it! I knew by this point that Chex had already hit the shelves here and Betty Crocker is soon to follow suit. Still, this surprise was and still is pretty darn awesome! I was not expecting this at all so I am quite thankful to General Mills Canada for thinking of myself and probably many others as well.

Some companies really do care <3

Super excited to try the Cereal and bake like I've never baked before when Betty Crocker gets here :)

Cold and Creamy Potato Salad

I ended up playing "Iron Chef" in my own kitchen the other afternoon. Just wanted something different, but needed to use ingredients already on hand. Fresh potatoes from my garden, frozen veggies and random condiments resulted in Potato Salad. I should play around in the kitchen more often because the dish turned out so creamy and delightful.

So here's the rundown, I ended up writing the ingredients and how much of each after I was satisfied with the taste of the dressing. I could be a tad off on certain amounts, but I'm sure with a simple taste test it will be easy to adjust.

10 mini Potatoes Cubed

1/2  Cup Mayo

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1/4 Cup Honey Dijon Mustard

1 Cup Vegetable Medley

1/2 Cup Red Onion Chopped 

3 Hard Boiled Eggs

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Top with Tortilla Strips

* Vegetable Medley - I used a baby blend of Carrot, Peas, and Baby Corn. 

* I did not have any Paprika on hand so I will probably add some next time around

* I used "Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strip's". These added a wonderful texture and a nice flavour combination.

Cupcake Fun....With Sprinkles!

Nothing says Summer like a delicious, moist cupcake. A cupcake I felt the urge to make at 10:30pm for some reason. The mix is from Well & Good. They are an Australian company with distribution in Canada and America. The sprinkles are a playful touch and they add a nice crunch.What a tasty idea. As you can see I really went to town with them. Being that it was really quite late by the time these creations were ready to be iced, I opted not to use a piping bag. I think they still look cute....but next time I will use said piping bag for some extra cuteness. ;)


This is the third product I have tried from Well & Good. The mixes are consistently easy to make and they taste AMAZING!


I have to say that this is definitely something I will gladly buy again!!!The kit includes icing & sprinkles.... a first that I have seen for any available mix here. Plus, how cool is that?!


I'm looking forward to the rest of Well & Good's line making it's way to Canada. Two of their products that I cannot wait to get my hands on are the Sponge Swiss Roll mix (sounds heavenly!) and the Crusty Bread Mix which you can make pita bread out of!


Check out their Facebook page for more information as well as pictures http://www.facebook.com/pages/Well-and-Good/123101024401689

It Almost That Time of Year Again

 I've been thinking about what kind of theme to have for my sons third birthday. I know it's a little far off, but October will be here before I know it! That and I just have so much fun making his cake (Gluten Free of course) and planning his special day. Right now, I am leaning towards a Thomas themed cake....not sure about flavours yet though. We will be taking him on a special outing to the Zoo this year as well. 


Below are the Gluten Free cakes I made for my son's first and second birthdays. He is able to eat gluten but I choose to make anything homemade GF for him. It's safer for my health and enjoyable by the whole family.

1st birthday was all about playing with the icing

First time I ever made a cake...not bad ;)

Must practice those piping skills

He loved playing with the dinos

Canadian Law & Cocoa Pebbles Treats

Last week I received a nice surprise from family members who had returned from an American vacation. Gluten Free food! It's always fun to see whats new and different across the border.


The Glutino wafer's were great as always (we have them here too).
Corn Chex is just AWESOME! 
I have yet to make the Betty Crocker cookie mix but noticed on the side of the box that it is manufactured IN Canada! Good news is this line will be sold here soon.
As for the Cocoa Pebbles Treats....YUM! What a great snack! This brings me to the rest of today's post-


I was so impressed with the Cocoa Pebbles Treats (it's a nice change to eat a snack that I don't have to make from scratch) that I sent an e-mail to Post asking if Canada will sell them soon.  Below is the response which really threw me for a loop.

June 08, 2011 

Dear Sandra Lajoie,

Thank you for your inquiry for Post Fruity Pebbles.

Due to character licensing and copyright issues, the Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cannot be sold in Canada at this time. It is also due to Canadian law popular cartoon characters on the television cannot sell products such as cereal. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you for using Post.

Michael Carpenter
Consumer Response Representative

~~TLXEA_19121624~~N

A law that bans cartoon characters on food cartons? I have yet to confirm this but either way it's a shame. Why should we be punished because other people cannot limit / monitor their child's food consumption properly? I know a lot of the cereal out there IS pretty junky but banning it based on a cartoon character is silly. Why not encourage these companies to make their products healthier? 


****UPDATE****

After seeing the Gluten Free, Post Cocoa Pebbles in a variety of Canadian stores, I decided to email them to see if we will be getting the GF Cocoa Pebbles Treats any time soon.

Below is the response I received.

April 09, 2013 

Dear Sandra Lajoie,Thank you for contacting Post Foods regarding Post Cocoa Pebbles Treat Bars. Unfortunately, this product has been discontinued.The Cocoa Pebble Treat Bars have been recently discontinued and you will only see those for a limited time now. The Cocoa Pebbles Cereal is available in Canada at this time and currently that is the only Pebbles or Gluten Free product that we have available to be purchased there.

We appreciate your loyalty and patronage and invite you to try another one of our many products. Thank you again for contacting Post Foods.Kerri Jordan
Consumer Response Representative

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).

I also purchased a pocket book which clearly lists ingredients that we can and cannot consume. Had this about 10 years ago and it was time for an updated version. I find it to be a real asset!

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.

If the vaccine were available to me after successful trials, I would gladly take it. I'm pretty sure I would still maintain a gf lifestyle. But the vaccine would take away my constant fear, my worry over "whats in that" ? I would no longer fear eating at a restaurant or feel left out at a gathering. It would also, hopefully give me the option to eat something containing wheat if I choose to do so.

Crispy Chicken Nuggets From Scratch

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. 

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.

***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.

Queijo - An unexpected Delight

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.

Make Ahead Mini Meatpies

For me, comfort food is such a joy. There's nothing like a hot meal when the weather is miserable outside. My favourite thing about this recipe is how simple it is! You can tackle the entire recipe all at once or you can do it in stages. I like to make this recipe in large batches and freeze for future meals. The small size of the "mini meat pies" really is great as they are quite filling.



Feel free to alter filling ingredients to your own personal liking.

Preheat  your oven to 350 (varies depending on oven)


Filling
2 Cups diced cooked chicken
2 1/2 Cups chicken stock
1 Cup Diced Carrots
1/2 Cup Diced Celery
1/2 Cup Chopped onion
1/4 cup Cornstarch or all purpose GF flour
3 Tablespoons Water
1/4 Cup Milk

Season to taste

Pastry
I used 1 box of Gluten-Free-Pantry Perfect-Pie-Crust . You can purchase this online or at the Real Canadian Superstore. If your local store does not carry this item, I would suggest asking them to.  

Bring Chicken Stock to boil in large saucepan (or pot)
Add the Carrots, Celery, and Onions. Cook for 15-20 minutes
Stir in Chicken and frozen peas. Cook for 5 more minutes
Add a few tablespoons of water to flour to make paste . Place in saucepan to thicken stock.  Cook on low for 3-5 minutes. Add Milk and season to taste. 
Pour the mixture into mini pie tins that are lined with pie crust.
Top off the meat pie with a layer of pie crust. 


Bake for about 25- 30 minutes