As I mentioned a few posts ago, my daughter has decided to try the Gluten Free/Casein Free diet. She is saying that it is giving her good results for some of her brain symptoms. (Google GFCF diet and Autism if you don't know what I"m talking about and care.)
So, this week I've been experimenting with some gluten free cooking and meal-making. I'm kind of enjoying the change of what is on my table. Not that, strictly speaking, I'm supposed to be eating much of what I put on my table...
Tonight we had Tacos. Yeah, brilliant. We skipped the cheese and went for lean ground beef, organic leafy greens, salsa and sauteed onions with chilli and cumin. Ok, I knew none of the kids would like the onions so I did them in a butter/oil mix. I read somewhere that the oil helps decrease the smoking point of the butter. At any rate, they were delish. I got spicy and the kids dined in the land-o-bland like they are wont to do.
I came upon a very successful gluten/casein free yeast bread this afternoon. The exciting thing about this recipe is that it does not contain potato starch, of which I currently have none (I ran out, and it's expensive.) But at the Asian food market, I can get both rice flour, sweet rice flour and tapioca starch for a mere pittance: Fifty-nine cents a pound! This is a fraction of the cost of gluten free flours and the trendy, upscale health-food coop. I'm stoked. And shopping at the Asian market exposes one to all sorts of mysterious Asian things that look intriguing....large bags of dried mushrooms (very large bags) for only nine dollars...for instance.
At any rate, the bread was good, it had a crust texture of white bread that we got in Switzerland, and the inside had a very "normal" texture, thanks to the guar gum powder I added.
I also am happy to report that I baked a gfcf pizza this week. I used the gluten free flours to make the crust, and found some gfcf soy cheese-type thingy (mozzarella style!) at the coop. I tried a piece just because I had to know what I was serving up (not on MY diet, but it IS bright week!) and my dd gleefully gobbled down all the rest. Pizza is back on the menu at our house! Another family favorite.
Yesterday was easy: a twelve pound turkey in the oven, still frozen solid. Slow cooked. By mid-afternoon it was done and so we dined on turkey and rice for dinner.
The last gfcf thing to mention: a product called Darifree. It is a milk substitute and no, it's actually not soy or rice based, but rather potato based. Once the stuff is mixed properly, it looks and almost tastes like cows milk. And it's got the calcium and stuff mixed in. It is dreadfully expensive, especially once shipping is factored in (That almost doubled my price!) But so very good! WAY nicer then soy or rice milk. Here is a link to my favorite GFCF recipes.
Why do I like writing about food so much? I'm forever blogging about food! What's up with that?
So, this week I've been experimenting with some gluten free cooking and meal-making. I'm kind of enjoying the change of what is on my table. Not that, strictly speaking, I'm supposed to be eating much of what I put on my table...
Tonight we had Tacos. Yeah, brilliant. We skipped the cheese and went for lean ground beef, organic leafy greens, salsa and sauteed onions with chilli and cumin. Ok, I knew none of the kids would like the onions so I did them in a butter/oil mix. I read somewhere that the oil helps decrease the smoking point of the butter. At any rate, they were delish. I got spicy and the kids dined in the land-o-bland like they are wont to do.
I came upon a very successful gluten/casein free yeast bread this afternoon. The exciting thing about this recipe is that it does not contain potato starch, of which I currently have none (I ran out, and it's expensive.) But at the Asian food market, I can get both rice flour, sweet rice flour and tapioca starch for a mere pittance: Fifty-nine cents a pound! This is a fraction of the cost of gluten free flours and the trendy, upscale health-food coop. I'm stoked. And shopping at the Asian market exposes one to all sorts of mysterious Asian things that look intriguing....large bags of dried mushrooms (very large bags) for only nine dollars...for instance.
At any rate, the bread was good, it had a crust texture of white bread that we got in Switzerland, and the inside had a very "normal" texture, thanks to the guar gum powder I added.
I also am happy to report that I baked a gfcf pizza this week. I used the gluten free flours to make the crust, and found some gfcf soy cheese-type thingy (mozzarella style!) at the coop. I tried a piece just because I had to know what I was serving up (not on MY diet, but it IS bright week!) and my dd gleefully gobbled down all the rest. Pizza is back on the menu at our house! Another family favorite.
Yesterday was easy: a twelve pound turkey in the oven, still frozen solid. Slow cooked. By mid-afternoon it was done and so we dined on turkey and rice for dinner.
The last gfcf thing to mention: a product called Darifree. It is a milk substitute and no, it's actually not soy or rice based, but rather potato based. Once the stuff is mixed properly, it looks and almost tastes like cows milk. And it's got the calcium and stuff mixed in. It is dreadfully expensive, especially once shipping is factored in (That almost doubled my price!) But so very good! WAY nicer then soy or rice milk. Here is a link to my favorite GFCF recipes.
Why do I like writing about food so much? I'm forever blogging about food! What's up with that?
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