BEER!

For those who enjoy an adult beverage every once in a while, becoming gluten-free comes with the sad realization that you can no longer enjoy a cold, icy beer.
BUT NOW THERE ARE OPTIONS!

I was never a big beer drinker before, but I definitely enjoyed one occasionally. It's just something that fits well with a BBQ or a warm evening after a day on the beach.

When I first eliminated gluten, I wrote a post on discovering a gluten-free beer at the liquor store, but being too afraid to try it. There are some terrible replacement products out there on the market- and I feared trying to replicate beer would just end in sadness.

However,
New Grist is pretty good!

It's an American beer that sits at 5.7%. It's quite "light", so I would compare it to something like a Corona. In fact, New Grist is fantastic with a wedge of lime!
It's brewed completely without wheat or barley- so it's definitely, without a doubt, 100% gluten-free.
They've replaced the wheat and barley with sorghum, rice, hops, water, and yeast.

It definitely tastes like beer, but the only difference I found that really didn't bother me that much, is that it's mildly less carbonated than a standard beer.

I've found it at various BC liquor stores in Vancouver- just ask where to find it- it's definitely not sitting along with the regular beers. It's usually with the specialty single beers- the fruit beers, etc.
It's sold in bottled 6-packs- and again- grab yourself a lime.

I've also found it at the following restaurants in Vancouver: (list to be updated as I discover more places!)
- The Irish Heather (Gastown)
- Chill Winston (Gastown)
- The New Oxford (Yaletown)

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold

Last Tuesday I came down with a horrendous cold. They're just so inconvenient, you know? It's putting a serious hamper on my daily activities and production levels!

Since I've been sick, I've been eating Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup like it's going out of style- but I knew there was nothing better for me than homemade.

So tonight- that was my project!
I adapted a recipe from Canadian Living- but it didn't have an essential "get better" ingredient that I wanted to throw in there- GINGER!

Here's my recipe:

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold
*this recipe makes a whole lot of soup- so be ready to put some in the fridge or freezer if you can't finish it all.

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium yellow onion
4 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 small yukon gold potatoes- peeled and diced
1/2 yam, peeled and diced
1 tbsp dried thyme (use fresh if you have it!)
3 sprigs fresh parsley, diced (I had some in my garden-- use dried if you only have that)
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 cups reduced sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup rinsed jasmine rice
1.5 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and cut into very small pieces

Heat olive oil in your largest pot--you will use only this pot for the soup.
Brown chicken thighs over medium heat.
Once browned, remove from pot- chop into small pieces and set aside for later.

Add onion and celery to the pot.
Saute for 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potato, yam, thyme, parsley, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Saute for 3 minutes.
Return chicken to pot.
Stir in broth and 4 cups water.
Bring to a boil- simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in rice.
Cover, and cook until rice is soft- approximately 15 minutes.

YUMMY!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

Get excited.
Right now.

I'm serious.

I made a BRILLIANT gluten-free and dairy-free pumpkin pie that I'm so excited to share. It's nearly Thanksgiving, and you could easily serve this to your guests without them knowing there is anything different about it. I wanted to be able to make a great pie for this occasion, and thought that I'd have to try a few different recipes to find a good one. 

With a few adjustments according to what I had in the fridge- this pie came out absolutely delicious. It might take a few tries to get it cosmetically perfect, because pies can be tricky this way...but I will absolutely be keeping this recipe in my collection.

This is an OVERNIGHT recipe- so plan to start in the evening, and continue the next day.
If you have the chance to chill your flours- this apparently helps, too. I didn't do it, but will try next time to see if it makes a difference.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch

3 tablespoons millet flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup COLD butter (keep it in the freezer)
1 egg
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ice-cold water (get a cup of water, throw some ice cubes in it, and put it in the freezer. ICE COLD. Bam!)

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Cut the butter in. When you are finished, the whole mix should look grainy. Butter should be no larger than pea-sized pieces.

Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the egg and apple cider vinegar. 
Gently stir, and then slowly add the ice cold water. Mixture should not be too wet, but should be able to be pressed into a ball of dough.

Take the dough, and press it onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Place another large piece of parchment on top, and roll the dough outward into a round shape. Dough should extend at least 4 inches past the edges of your pie plate.

Refrigerate this dough (ideally) overnight. Take it out of the fridge 20 minutes before you want to work with it. 

Peel off the top layer of parchment and lay your pie plate on top. This is the scariest part...FLIP it over! Lightly peel the last layer of parchment off.
DON'T WORRY if you butcher your dough at this point. I did, and ended up pressing it all back together- and it still turned out great!

Trim the edges of the pie, and if you'd like, you can crimp the pieces or press a fork into the edges to create a cute little design.  

Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (Mine took 15...watch for it until it's golden brown)

Cool COMPLETELY. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Filling:

 2/3 cup coconut milk
(Just less than) 1/2 cup sugar
 2 eggs
 1 (14-ounce) can organic pumpkin puree
 3 tablespoons millet flour
 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the mix, and combine well. 
Pour into the cooled pie crust, and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes (again, mine took 55...wait until the middle of the pie is fairly firm.) It's always a good idea to put some tin foil over the edges of the pie- so they don't get burnt during baking! 

Thank you Campbell's!

I discovered today, while opening a can of my body-tested gluten-free soup, that Campbell's has now changed their labeling to identify gluten-free!

This is so exciting because it seems that more companies are taking charge with informing customers about what is in their product. Gluten-free can be a dietary choice, or a dietary necessity, and proper labeling helps all people understand better what they are putting in their bodies.

I believe this is new, so it may not apply to all soups, yet. Take a look next time you're in the grocery store!

 

 

Check it out! Top right corner in the red box!

Yellow Yam Curry

I have the ability to make a meal out of what's left in seemingly empty cupboards. There are those days where it's been awhile since you've been grocery shopping, and you don't have the time to go!
That's the situation I was stuck in tonight, and I ended up making a delicious dinner out of what I had.

In my kitchen I had:

Can of light coconut milk
3/4 package of rice stick noodles
yellow curry paste
yellow onion
1 yam
leftover chicken stock
fish sauce
Coconut Oil

This dish ended up warm, comforting, and delicious. Perfect for Vancouver's first rainy Autumn night.

Yellow Yam Curry

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 can light coconut milk
Rice stick noodles, cooked.
2 tbsp Thai Kitchen Yellow Curry Paste
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium yam, peeled and cut into bite size pieces.
1/4 cup chicken stock (make sure it's gluten free!)
1 tbsp Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce
1 cup cooked chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces.

Instructions:

Heat coconut oil in frying pan over medium heat.
Add chopped yellow onion, and fry until soft.

While onion is cooking: boil yam pieces for 9 minutes.

Add curry paste, and combine well with onion.
Add coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish sauce.
Add chicken breast, and cooked yam.

Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve over rice noodles.

Monster Cookies!

If you like cookies, look no further.
To be honest, I've never been a cookie kind of girl. My brother and my dad could easily eat 10 cookies at one time, but I usually don't desire more than half a cookie at a time.
When you're told you're not allowed cookies, however, it's just not fair!

Whole Foods sells a delicious cookie called the monster cookie. It's made without wheat- and it's everything you've ever wanted in a cookie.

The bakery sells them for $1.49 each, or $7.99 for a 6-pack.
The ingredients list says that it "May contain wheat", but tried-tested-and-true, my belly was still happy after eating a whole cookie! It's safe!

Oats, chocolate, seeds, nuts...seriously. It's everything you could dream of. Go get one!

Protein Powder and Favourite Smoothies!

With so many different protein powders on the market- it's hard to pick which one. I've had great, good, average, and terrible protein powders, and with all my allergies it's tough to find one that works!

I discovered Organic Rice Protein by Prairie Naturals through a friend, and absolutely love it! It comes in 360 and 720g versions, and in several flavours! It's organic, and vegan-- which I think is tougher to find on the market. Most protein powders have whey- which is milk-derived. It's 100% gluten-free, and is made from sprouted brown rice.

There are 24 grams of protein per serving, and most importantly, it's delicious.
I've tried only the French Vanilla favour, but it also comes in Café Caramel, and Natural. You can find information on all of Prairie Naturals protein products here.

I bought the 360g one, but found that between me and my boyfriend, we ZOOMED through the whole thing. I'm much happier with the 720g, but it's harder to find! In Vancouver, you can find the 720g at Body Energy Club for the best price of $38.99. Whole Foods sells the 360g flavours, but not as good of value.

Here are some smoothie recipes I've created, and have daily! They fill me up, and none of that "they really fill you up" diet lies--I mean it!

Awake Smoothie Recipe:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Splash of juice
4 ice cubes
1 chunk of cucumber (about 2 inches- skin and all)
Small handful of kale
2 Scoops Organic Rice Protein
1 tsp Macha

Blend until smooth!


Simple Vanilla Smoothie:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 scoops Organic Rice Protein

Blend until smooth!


Cucumber is a great addition to a smoothie- it's a low-calorie, neutral vegetable that can go undetected in your otherwise fruity smoothie! Great way to get your greens!

2 Months Later.

Hello!

Apologies for my hiatus from the blog. It's been an absolutely wild summer- and unfortunately AllergyFreeVancouver took a hit!

I've been making new discoveries all summer, as well as enjoying my healthy, happy, allergy-free body!

Stay tuned for several posts of newly discovered gluten-free, allergy-free delights!

- Laura

Update to OMG Bread

Hello!

It's been a while since I posted my OMG Bread recipe- and I've used it plenty of times now. I thought I'd give an update to the recipe, and also just how I make it!

It's gluten-free bread. It's vegan. It's delicious. It's great for toasting. It's great for freezing.

Here is the original posting for OMG Bread.

If you haven't used this recipe yet, you should do it today.
I've tried a number of gluten-free breads from different bakeries...and mine is still one of the best. It's the best for toasting for sure. I don't eat a large amount of bread, so I keep mine frozen and toast a piece or two now and then for a toasty sandwich, or toast spread with maple butter, or natural peanut butter.

I haven't changed anything to the recipe, but added to the most recent loaf I did.

I added:

1/4 cup hemp hearts

1 tbsp dried rosemary

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried thyme

This added a little herby hint to the bread- but it's still the same, delicious stuff!

You can make 2 smaller loafs with the recipe, or one large loaf, as pictured above. Up to you! The larger is best for sandwiches, but the smaller loafs are better for just small pieces of toast, and limiting your carb intake.

Yummy Product Review: Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss

Alright people. We are talking about a serious topic here. Ice Cream.

More importantly, we are talking about Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan (aka. Dairy-Free) Ice Cream.

I had heard about this product through the grapevine, and had been dying to try it. A little while ago at my local Whole Foods, this product was on sale, and I grabbed the VERY LAST carton of it.

The one that was left was called "Naked Coconut"- and even though I'm not a crazy coconut fan, I decided I had to try it.

This stuff is unreal. Although pricey, it is so rich in flavour that you'll find yourself only eating a little at a time (and still being entirely satisfied).

This Naked Coconut flavour was rich in coconut flavour, with little pieces of actual coconut mixed around inside. This is something you'll eat right out of the carton.

I'm looking forward to trying some of their other flavours, including Naked Almond Fudge, Vanilla Island, and Cappuccino. Based on their website, it looks like they have 10 flavours of ice cream, and 2 flavours of ice cream bars available in Canada.

I've seen this product sold at Whole Foods, and Choices Markets so far.
If you love your ice cream, like I do, go out and try this! I highly recommend it!

West End Farmer's Market

Farmer's Market season has arrived! Vancouver offers a variety of Farmer's Markets, and there is sure to be one in your area!

My local area- the West End- is lucky to have a great Farmer's Market on Saturdays. It has been open for the past 2 Saturdays, but I finally got to go pay a visit yesterday!

I was surprised to see a bunch of familiar vendors from the Kitsilano Market- Paul's Produce, bluecometseafoods (mmm sashimi tuna loin!), Flippers Organic Acres, and many others!

Today's Farmer's Market purchases included:

Beets and tops
Cherry Tomatoes (absolutely unreal!)
Strawberry Spinach
Long English Cucumbers (some nice and solid ones this weekend!)
Radishes
New Potatoes (the teeny weeniest you've ever seen! so cute!)
Red Kale
Zucchini

Beautiful produce! 

The West End Farmer's Market is located between Bute and Thurlow on Comox St.
It's open Saturdays, from 9am- 2pm

Get there early to pick out the best stuff! Lots of vendors sell out of some of their goodies!
Go grab breakfast- there is always a food truck and coffee vendors for you to eat while you shop.

Also- don't forget cash, or if you do- you can get Market Money through your debit. It's a $2 charge per transaction.

Next week I'm looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of new vendors.
Check out the Interactive Market Map to see who will be there each weekend!

Food Trucks Are All The Rage

As the post title states, food trucks are all the rage in Vancouver these days. In downtown Vancouver, they're hard not to miss- stationed at some of the busiest corners in the downtown core.

Being a person with allergies, these food trucks come with a big red flag- we have no idea what the ingredients are- or really any way to look it up. Street meat is pretty much out. It's unfortunate because so many of these food trucks are raved about. They are definitely the hottest trend for "fast food", and some of the products coming out of these food trucks are absolutely gourmet.

I have discovered my first food truck which boasts an ENTIRELY gluten-free, and dairy-free menu. Not only that- the food is absolutely amazing.

This food truck is called "Off the Wagon". They describe themselves as a "mobile Taqueria specializing in fresh homemade tacos." Having been to Mexico City a couple times and eating authentic tacos right off the street, my standards for tacos are high.

The tacos at Off The Wagon are fantastic. Authentic, and drool-worthy.
I ordered 2 pulled pork tacos- and absolutely would get them again, and again, and again. They also have a vegetarian option (yam and beans) that I would love to try.

They have a Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/OffTheWagonTacos


You can find Off the Wagon at the Kitsilano Farmer's Market on Sundays. You can also find them at Dunsmuir and Burrard during weekdays!

Pulled-Pork- The Easiest Recipe You'll Ever Make.

After my honey kept bugging me to make pulled pork, I finally decided to get down and try it. I don't know any meat-eater that doesn't like pulled pork. I discovered a recipe that, frankly, is the easiest thing I've ever made. I'd love to pretend I laboured for hours to make such a delicious dish- but honestly, it's absolutely painless- and absolutely delicious.

You will need a slow cooker, aka. Crock Pot. I've got a fantastic orange and brown 70's style Crock Pot that I picked up at a garage sale before I moved out for College years ago.

Ingredients:
1 boneless pork shoulder
A bottle of your favourite BBQ Sauce- I used Amazing Dad's Original BBQ Sauce- It's GF and organic!
2 medium yellow onions
1 cup ginger ale

Instructions:
Slice up your yellow onions into large pieces. Put the pieces of one onion on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add in your pork shoulder
Put the pieces of the other onion on the top of the pork.
Pour 1 cup ginger ale over the mix.

Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

After 8-10 hours the pork should easily be falling apart.
Drain all the liquid, and then take 2 forks to tear apart the meat. It's so much easier than I thought it would be. All the fat has been melted off and was drained with the liquid.
Add in a generous amount of BBQ sauce and stir- the pork is cooked at this point, so you can test and see if you added enough BBQ sauce. Add as much to your liking- but know you can also add more to your sandwich if you decide to later. I like to use less, and add more if needed later.

Cook on high for an additional 1-2 hours- stirring every half hour or so.
This recipe takes absolutely no effort, but it does take time. Make sure to plan accordingly!

Mexican Hummus Recipe!

Hello!

So I created a delicious recipe I wanted to share with you all!

I named it Mexican Hummus because of it's delicious lime flavour, and cayenne and cilantro tones.

This hummus is dairy-free, and gluten-free, but most importantly GARLIC-FREE, so you can eat as much as you want without the embarrassing post-hummus bad breath!

Not only is making your own hummus easy, but it's incredibly healthy! Choose to use canned chickpeas or make your own from dried chickpeas! (The trick is to add a touch of baking soda when soaking the chickpeas- this will help keep their skins on!)

Mexican Hummus

You will need:

2 cups Chickpeas

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp Organic Tahini

1/4 cup Lime Juice

1 Jalapeño (I used a White Jalapeño)

1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro

1/8 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Blend on a low speed until mixed. You may have to stop and stir- this could be too thick for some blenders.

Garnish with a cilantro sprig, and serve with chopped vegetables, or corn tortilla chips!

Kitsilano Farmer's Market- Van Markets

The Kitsilano Farmer's Market is up and running!

Check out the Interactive Market Map!

I've visited the Kitsilano market the past two Sundays and have found some delicious treats from lovely vendors that I'd love to share with you!

First off, here are the details:

Kitsilano Farmer's Market
Just outside the Kitsilano Community Centre at 10th and Larch.
Sundays
10am-2pm

Parking is limited, but it is available. I had to loop around a couple times today until I found a spot. There is parking at the Community Centre, and also a few spots on the street.

Last week I rode my bike, and they were doing free bike tune ups, and also, the fantastic Bicycle Valet is there to keep your bike safe and sound as you shop!

Bring cash, but if you absolutely don't have time to grab some before hand, you can get "Market Money" by using your debit card- all vendors take Market Money, and will give you back exact change, when needed.

Favourite vendors so far:

Paul's Produce- a family farm in Abbotsford. Radishes are only $1 a bunch here! I don't think Paul's Produce is organic, but it is local, and is the best priced produce at the market.

High Crow Gluten-Free Foods- I've tried the Ginger cookie, and a Cranberry/Orange Loaf. Absolutely divine.

Hui's Farm- Mushrooms! Many varieties including many exotic looking mushrooms that I'm hesitant to try, but I've picked up a large amount of Crimini for $4 here. The cutest wee little mushrooms you've ever seen. Delicious.

Kalley Kandy- Almond Nougat. Need I say more. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, with no preservatives, additives, colourings, or gelatine, but it's made of egg-whites. $5 will get you a package of 6 generous pieces.

Jane's Honey Bees- Met "Jane" herself...but actually it's her middle name. Bought myself a LARGE jar of dark honey for $10. Love buying local.

A little tip for those purchasing fresh greens at the market:

Many vendors have laid out "salad bars" where they have chopped, prepared lettuce. A medium size bag will run you about $7-9, BUT if you buy the lettuces by the bunch and prepare it yourself, you will get about 5x as much for the same price. I bought 3 medium bunches for $7.50, and ended up with way more lettuce than I knew what to do with. Seriously. I've been eating lettuce for every. single. meal.

But it's delicious and healthy.

I'm looking forward to my local farmer's market opening up- West End! I will let you know how it goes.

Allergies- Know Thy Enemy.

It's been over 3 months since I gave up gluten.
Do I love the change? Yes.
Do I feel healthier? Yes.
Have my eating habits changed for the better? Yes.

The problem now is that my body seems to be incredibly more sensitive to what I put in it. I really feel the difference between good food and bad food. I also really feel the pain if I accidentally consume gluten, in any form.

Last night I made a delicious recipe, adapted from one I saw on Steven and Chris
For the recipe: go here.

I messed around with the spices a little, didn't have any wine, used chicken breasts instead of thighs, but essentially a very similar dish.

So, a while back, I bought a bag of curry powder at my local No Frills grocery store. Of course, I read through the ingredients, and although NO gluten was listed on the label, it did say, "May contain traces of gluten". Now, I figured, okay, it's probably made in a plant that there is a risk of cross contamination, but if it actually doesn't contain gluten in the recipe, then it can't be that bad...right?

Wrong.

Pain, people. Lots. Of. Pain.

Slowly I am learning my lesson. No gluten allowed. Not even traces. It's a tough battle- this whole gluten-free thing. The diet is just fine- but wheat/gluten is so sneaky, it's literally in every corner of the grocery store. It just reinforces the fact that I really have to check the labels- and if it says, may contain traces- DO NOT CONSUME! It's just not worth it. Even though the risk may be small, there clearly was enough gluten in the product to really make me feel it.

So, today- I will be tossing out that curry powder, and looking for a new, gluten-free version.

I finished this book yesterday, and recommend it for anyone who is interested in living a gluten-free life, who has recently been diagnosed with a gluten-sensitivity/celiac, or anyone who wants to lose weight, feel better, and have more energy.

It really is a fantastic read- although slow at times (written by a doctor- many medical terms to plough through), William Davis gives a variety of examples of how wheat (gluten) can negatively affect your life. His many medical studies through his patients have proven the benefits of giving up gluten, and the absolute miracles that have occurred in their doing so (diabetes cure, 10 year skin rash disappears, incredibly fast weight loss).
For me, it was interesting to read the scientific side of this problem: how wheat has changed over the years, how science meddling in our food production has been an absolute curse, and of course, reading the many magical stories of people getting healthy through one simple change- no more gluten.

I, for one, know I'll never go back. I don't want to live with the constant stomach aches, the uncomfortable and ugly swelling and bloating of my stomach for reasons I was unaware of at the time, the energy crashes, the painful canker sores, the migraines. All of these problems disappeared within 3 days of me giving up gluten.
Coincidence? I don't think so.

EPIC Expo

YIKES! Apologies for the hiatus! This post below was one I drafted and never got back to...

SO here's my review of the EPIC Expo!

This weekend I attended the EPIC Sustainable Living Expo in Vancouver, BC. Conventions like this should happen all the time! It really was a wonderful event- lots to learn, and even more to eat and drink--even for me!

Let's start with my discoveries:

Mongozo Beer- now available in Canada- (less than 10 parts gluten per million, other parts?...equal to a milligram per litre). With this amount of gluten, they are allowed to certify it as "gluten-free".
I can tell you that I was absolutely fine after drinking it- I can't guarantee that if I went on a 3 day binge with this beer, I would feel the same. I'm going to try to track it down, because it really was delicious. Somehow they've come up with a process of "removing" the gluten from the barley that it is made with. Pretty innovative, and yes, it tastes like real beer!
Upon request, I was told, " It will likely be sold at 16th Street Liquor Store, Brewery Creek, Firefly, Legacy Liquor Store, The Strath or Viti Wine & Lagers"

Choices Markets were giving out samples of some of their products, and a couple of them were gluten-free!
They were:
Raw Cocoa-Nut Drop Cookie
Quinoa and Rice Granola

Both delicious- and I would likely purchase them!

Earth Balance spreads- Coconut spread, and regular. These are great! If you are vegan- rejoice and buy these products! They are made from vegetable oils and are NOT hydrogenated...I'm still doing my research on if they're "good" for you or not- but they certainly were delicious.

I'm really enjoying my exploration in local foods and producers. I've been going to the farmer's markets regularly, and loading up on my produce for the week! It's not only fun, but you feel good doing it. It's nice to see produce that LOOKS like real produce- you know, not the "cookie-cutter" vegetables at your regular grocery store that are obviously GMO or hybridized or sprayed with a zillion chemicals. These look, and TASTE like real vegetables.

Why you should ask, "Would a Caveman eat that?!"

This article gives an example of why we really should only eat what we are meant to eat- things that the earth gives us. This isn't some hippy-dippy way of living- it's the road to good health.

Coffee Creamer

Would a caveman eat that?

Let's just think about the topic question for a moment:

Would (or could) a caveman eat that?

I think it's a pretty good evaluation on what you should and shouldn't be putting into your body. I think science, for the most part, has had a negative impact on food and how our bodies react to it. The more natural, the better.

It's incredibly important for those with allergies to be checking the labels on everything- this is for the happiness of your belly, and the healthiness of your body. However, not only people with allergies should be checking the labels of your products; everyone should be.

A couple posts ago in the Gluten-Free Kitchen, I mentioned that Skippy Peanut Butter has a strange ingredient you wouldn't expect to be in your peanut butter. Know what it is? Icing Sugar.

Um...
excuse me?

Icing Sugar.

When you think about someone whipping up a jar of peanut butter, do you imagine them reaching for that  white sugary powder? Absolutely not. And yet, it's there.

What about all the additional chemicals that science has created to "improve" texture, taste, or longevity of your food?

Here's another little story for you:

I used to go camping with my family every summer. We had a very nice trailer that we parked at a lake- my Mom is a city girl and didn't like "roughing" it- so we had a trailer with nice beds, a full kitchen, and a bathroom. It was the most comfortable form of camping- it was great!
Needless to say, we had a fully stocked refrigerator and cupboards. We used to make these delicious sandwiches over the campfire- ham, egg, processed cheese- all sealed in a toasted, buttery white bread. I'm salivating just thinking about them.

Anyways, after a lovely summer of privileged camping- we left our trailer on the property for the winter.
Fast forward 8 months.

It's June of the following year. My Dad recruits me to help him clean out the trailer to prepare for the summer. We're cleaning out the kitchen, going through the cupboards, and my Dad finds a loaf of bread---an (at the very least) 8-month-old loaf of bread. It's white Wonder bread...and guess what- it looks EXACTLY the same as the "fresh" ones on the shelves of your local grocery stores look.

If that doesn't make you shudder, I don't know what will. ALL food should expire. Everything except the magical goodness of honey.

If I had brought that loaf of bread to someone's house, and made a couple of sandwiches with it- no one would have known.

The only way this could have happened is if the product was either:
a. Plastic
b. Modified by science in order to NEVER expire.

That's just not right.
Our insides still function like cavemen- we may have outsmarted ourselves with our foods- but it doesn't have to be that way.

Meat, vegetables, raw nuts.

Don't worry about fats.
Cavemen ate lots of fats.

Worry about chemicals, processed foods, and of course, gluten. The hybrid wheat just isn't what our ancestors ate- and certainly isn't what cavemen ate.
Worry about "bad" oils- that's 'vegetable', canola, corn.

Consume good oils- that's olive, avocado, and coconut.

Use spices and herbs.
Salt is okay- but use good salt- sea salt, or pink Himalayan. Your body needs salt to live. Once you rid of the processed stuff- your major intake of salt will be gone. Season your meats with salt and pepper.

Eat like a caveman. Even though our world has gotten faster, more efficient, and smarter- your food should still be the same.

Mixed Berry Muffins

A Recipe adapted from Gluten Free Goddess...absolutely delicious. Almost taste like a hybrid between a bran muffin, and a delicious dessert muffin made from white flour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin pan.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

3/4 cup Corn Flour
1/4 cup Buckwheat flour
1/2 cup Sorghum flour 
1/4 cup Brown Rice flour
1/2 cup Potato starch
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Xanthan gum
3/4 cup Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add:

1/4 cup light olive oil

1 tablespoon raw honey

2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cup warm water

Stir in:

1 rounded cup frozen berry mix (blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries!)

Plop the batter into twelve muffin cups and smooth the tops. Gluten-free recipes don't take shape like "normal" recipes do. The way you put them in will be the way they stay- so shape them up! I love to sprinkle a tiny bit of brown sugar on top of each muffin!

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. Do the toothpick test to check doneness.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins from the pan and cool them directly on the rack.

Makes one dozen muffins.

A Gluten-Free Kitchen

Starting up a gluten-free, dairy-free kitchen can be a bit of a commitment. You want to have yourself set up to be successful, with many opportunities to create the most wonderful, delicious meals, and treats for yourself and your family.

Basics to have around the cupboards:

• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Maple Syrup (The real stuff. Don't buy the poison. Keep it in the fridge or it will go moldy!)
• Sorghum Flour
• Rice Flour (brown or white, whichever you prefer)
• Tapioca Flour
• Corn Flour
• Millet Flour
• Buckwheat Flour
• Potato Starch
• Corn Starch
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Yeast (Both rapid-rising, and not)

All flours I have found at Whole Foods. Most of them are made by Bob's Red Mill- Whole Foods does have some in bulk (rice and buckwheat).

Great spices to have on hand:

• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Turmeric
• Curry Powder (check the ingredients labels before buying!)

For the fridge/freezer:

• Fruits and Veggies. I cannot stress the importance of having these around to snack on!
• Fresh salsa! Grab some at your local farmer's market or deli! Fresh is best!
• Kale!!!! Kale chips....so good. Try using red or black kale for a bigger crunch!
• Frozen berries for smoothies!
• Unsweetened Almond Milk (The Silk brand is just terrible. Try Almond Fresh)
• Gluten-free Soy Sauce (Kikkomen makes it! Available at Safeway!)
• Chef's Natural Sausages (Available at the Vancouver Farmer's Market! Try Apple and Pork)
• Soy Good Frozen Dessert (ICE CREAM!!!!)
• So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk (AKA YOGURT! This is BETTER than the real stuff. Available in Strawberry, Blueberry, and Vanilla. Just try not to get addicted)

For the cupboards:

• Vegetable Oil
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar (Get both your Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar from an international market or deli! You'll absolutely find the best quality there.)
• Natural Peanut Butter (Try Adam's 100% Natural Crunchy! A little tip out there...next time you're buying peanut butter, check out the ingredients label on Skippy brand- one ingredient in there you probably didn't expect...)
• Rice pasta- vermicelli, as well as your standard penne, rotini...find a variety of brands at your local Whole Foods!
• Rice! Lots of it! Those who know me know that rice is my absolute favourite food.

Canned Foods:

• Black Beans
• Corn
• Campbells Chicken and Rice Soup. Great for a quick lunch.
• Young Sweet Corn (Stir Fries, and Curries)
• Bamboo Shoots (Thai Curries)
• Coconut Milk
• Dalla Terra Roasted Pepper Antipasto (Put on grilled chicken, mix into your thai curries...so versatile...so delicious)

Just a note: don't buy canned tomatoes. If you're going to: find them in glass jars. The acid in tomatoes leeches the metal out of the cans and creates an unhealthy metallic balance for you to consume. Google it.

Snacks

• Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Annie Chun's Seaweed Snacks (Try the sesame flavour)
• Rice Cakes
• Rice Crackers
• Make some of my OMG Bread and keep it on hand for sandwiches and toast!

I'll continue to add to this list as I discover new products! As of right now I've got most of this on hand. The baking ingredients may seem like a bit excessive- but all gluten-free baking uses a variety of flours versus just one to create a great product. Different flours for different recipes for different baked ingredients!

Ginger-Molasses Cookies

After having the most delicious ginger cookie at the Vancouver Farmer's Market, I absolutely had to make my own! These turned out fantastic, and actually were better the next day!

Here's my recipe:

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Ginger-Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups GF flour blend

- 1 1/4 cup sorghum flour 

- 3/4 cup rice flour  

- 1/4 cup potato starch 

-1/4 cup tapioca flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

White sugar (for rolling)

Combine first four ingredients into a large bowl.

Fold in the rest!

Cover and refrigerate until firm (1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350.

Roll dough into balls and roll in white sugar.

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake 9-13 minutes (depending on the size...I would suggest golf ball size balls at 11 minutes).

Let cool before eating- these cookies will need to "set".

Enjoy!

What do I do with that chicken!?

This post is the first of a couple that I'm going to make today, and it deals with the question above.

When you're stuck for dinner, one popular thing to do is to pick up one of those supermarket roasted chickens, right? I recently did this last week for my if-i-get-even-slightly-hungry-i-think-the-world-is-going-to-end boyfriend, who truly thought he would die if he didn't mean now. So, I went out and bought a chicken.

If you're like me, I don't really like tearing it apart. I go straight for the goods. The chicken breasts on top.
Once those are gone it's definitely a bit of work to get the rest.

So what do I do with that chicken carcass!?

The answer: SOUP!

As I posted before, soup is so rewarding. I really should make it more often.
Here's my (loose) recipe for Supermarket Roasted Chicken Leftovers Soup:

Ingredients:
Chicken carcass with meat/skin/bones/all that's leftover from the pickings.
Water
1.5 medium yellow onions
Several garlic chives
Coarse Sea Salt
Rosemary
Oregano
Peppercorns
1.25 cup (approx), cooked jasmine rice
One long skinny leek- sliced thinly.
4 small/medium carrots- sliced thinly.

Put chicken carcass, bones/skin/everything, into a very large pot. Cover with water, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add 1.5 medium yellow onions cut into 1/4s.
Add 2 tbsp sea salt, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp oregano, and 1 tbsp peppercorns.
Boil boil boil!!!
Add a small handful of garlic chives.
Boil boil boil!!!

(I boiled for over an hour. Up to you. The longer, the better, in my opinion)

Strain everything from the pot, into another large pot so all the liquid and solids are separate.
Time to sort the junk from the good stuff.
Pick out all the pieces of chicken, and discard skin, bones, cooked onions and chives, and other unidentifiables.

Add the good stuff (chicken pieces) to the liquid and put on medium heat.
Add leek, carrots and rice.
Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Cook until the carrots can be pierced with a fork.

Enjoy!

Vancouver Farmer's Market- Earth Day Post

Vancouver has some wonderful Farmer's Markets, and lucky for us, even in the dreary, wet winter, we still have one! This "Winter" market is located right near Nat Bailey Stadium, and there is a moderate amount of parking facilities available. Lots of bike parking- so if you can, ride your bike there!

 I decided I absolutely had to go visit the market this weekend after watching a thought-provoking documentary called "Farmaggedon" on Friday evening. It focusses on the debate over raw milk (which I can't have anyways...but you lactose-intolerants apparently can!)...and how it is illegal in Canada and in some states in the US. It was eye-opening, but what really got to me was the idea of buying local.

Of course, of course, we all know it's better to buy local, but without proper planning, we find ourselves at the supermarket time and time again without knowledge of where our food is travelling from, and how far it had to travel to get to our plates. It's self-explanatory that local food is better for the earth. Think about all the emissions that go out into the atmosphere every day just getting food to people's plates. Even "every day" type veggies like cucumber, and lettuce travel thousands of miles- why?! It just seems so silly if you think about it.

 The Vancouver (Winter) Farmer's Market had an exceptional number of stands and a very happy crowd slowly moved their way around the market.

I managed to pick up:
cucumbers
apples
carrots
leeks
tomatos
wild pink salmon
sashimi-grade wild tuna loin
GLUTEN-FREE ginger cookie (inspiration for baking them later today...)
GLUTEN-FREE apple and pork sausages
and more.

There was so much available- all sorts of lettuces, peppers, dried fruits, juices, all sorts of meat. Mostly organic, all local. It really makes you feel good supporting these farmers. Supporting the local economy. Knowing where your food comes from.
Whether it's all psychological that it tastes better, or not, is up to you...but in my belief, these products not only are better for the earth and better for your body, but they taste better, too.

I wanted to make a shout out to a couple of vendors:

1. High-Crow Gluten Free. They were the ones who had several baked goods on hand at the market, including the chewy ginger cookie that I purchased. Honestly, this was probably one of the best cookies I've ever eaten in my life. Their products are available at the farmer's market, and Edible Canada Bistro on Granville Island uses some of their products. Their website is: http://www.highcrow.com/

2. Chefs Natural Sausage. A wide variety of sausages, made with locally grown meats. All are gluten-free, no MSG, and no nitrates. I purchased a pack of 4 apple and pork sausages for about $6. Great price- delicious sausages!

If you want to find out more about the farmer's markets in Vancouver check out eatlocal.org

Markets are available all over the city- so look to see when the one nearest you is opening. Until then, check out the one on Saturdays at Nat Bailey!

Being healthy and allergy-free, and eating delicious foods is easy. All it takes is a little extra planning.

Curried Cauliflower

YUMYUM!

I bought a cauliflower this past week knowing that I wanted to experiment with it. Cauliflower is a great vegetable- especially cooked. It's so neutral that it can be made with anything. If you haven't done mashed cauliflower as a heathy replacement for mashed potato, you absolutely should. It's divine. And you feel especially healthy eating it.

Tonight's recipe I call:

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpeas over Jasmine Rice

1 medium yellow onion
2 tsp yellow curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen- found at Whole Foods)
1 1/4 cup chicken broth (replace with veggie broth if you're a vegetarian!)
1/2 cup coconut milk
Olive Oil
1/2 jar Dalla Terra Roasted Pepper Antipasto (found at Whole Foods)
15 baby yellow potatoes
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into medium-large bite size chunks.
1 medium tomato
1 can chickpeas
3 cups cooked jasmine rice (I prepared with 1 cup jasmine to 2 cups water)

Over medium-high heat, heat up a small amount of olive oil in a large wok or pan.
Cut all baby potatoes in half, and add to pan. Cook 5 minutes.
Add chopped onion. Cook 3 minutes.
Add cauliflower. Cook 3 minutes.
Add to pan, chicken broth, curry paste, coconut milk, and antipasto. Cook 5-7 minutes.
Add chickpeas.
Once all veggies are tender, add fresh tomato.

Serve over rice!

Since the antipasto and curry paste have so much flavour to them...I found the final dish needed no extra seasoning!

Fantastic!

Dinner Idea: Baked Chicken Kebabs!

Tonights dinner: Baked Chicken Kebabs.

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be entirely customized with your favourite veggies, meats, or marinate some tofu and make it vegetarian!

The vegetables I chose:

White Mushrooms
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Orange Pepper
Zucchini
Cauliflower

and for protein:

Chicken Breast

So simple...cut everything into bite size chunks...and skewer. I lightly olive oiled my veggies and chicken before I skewered them, and once skewered seasoned with salt and pepper! You can choose to make a marinade if you'd like, but I wanted the veggies to shine on their own!

Bake in the oven on the lowest shelf possible at 425.
After 10 minutes, flip!
Bake for 10 more minutes and you're done!

Serve over some jasmine rice, and with a delicious salad with balsamic and olive oil! I served the kebabs with some hot sauce, for dipping!

Easy Salmon Dinner

Let's talk about butter.

Butter is one of those things that I eat with no problems. I've done some research and while there is casein in butter, it is in very very trace amounts. I've got a casein allergy, but seem to have no issues with it...and margarine is scary stuff. I prefer butter over margarine anyway.

With that in mind...I made a simple, delicious dinner tonight that I wanted to share!

Baked Dill Salmon with Leeks and Red-Skinned Mashed Potatoes.....

Ingredients:
20-30 baby red-skinned potatoes
1/2 cup UNSWEETENED Almond Milk
One generous dollop + 2 tbsp of butter
One salmon Filet (mine was approx 1 inch thick)
2 Leeks
Salt
Pepper
Dried Dill

To prepare:

POTATOS:

Boil a large pot of salted water.
Add 20-25 baby red-skinned potatoes.
Boil the hell out of them until they are easily broken apart with a fork.
Strain.
Mash with 1/2 cup UNSWEETENED Almond Milk, and a generous dollop of butter!
Season with salt and pepper


SALMON:
Preheat oven to 450.
Take 2 leeks and slice the dark leaves and end tips off.
Rinse.
Slice the leeks lengthways.
Rinse again.
Slice the leeks one more time lengthways.
Fan out, and rinse.
Place fanned leeks on a large sheet of tin foil.
Melt 2 tbsp of butter- and pour onto leeks and salmon.
Lightly season salmon and leeks with salt.
Lightly sprinkle salmon with dried dill, and place face down on the buttered leeks.
Close up the tin foil to make a neat little package.
Bake for 16 minutes- DO NOT OVERCOOK SALMON. It is so sad when it is overdone.

I also served the meal with some sautéed mushrooms! Yum!


This was so easy peasy and it was absolutely delicious. No gluten ever!

OMG Bread.

Gluten-free bread. Also Egg and Dairy-free.
I DID IT!
Homemade.
Delicious.
No seriously.
Delicious!!!!!!!!!

I hesitate even defining it as gluten-free because even though it is entirely gluten-free....it's not "gluten free", if you know what I mean.

WOW.

Make this recipe now. I adapted this recipe from another site seen here:
http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228

But below are the EXACT instructions that I did.

Recipe for 2 loaves:

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups millet flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

Add:

4 tsp olive oil
3 1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

Mix well- don't worry about "toughening" the bread...that only happens when Gluten is involved. Mix away my pretties! When you finish mixing, the bread dough will be more like cake batter than traditional bread dough.

For the best rising: While mixing the bread, create a proofing box in your stove. Put a bowl of water in the stove, and heat it at your absolutely lowest heat- MUST be less than 100 degrees F. Pour the bread dough into two well-greased loaf pans (I use and reuse those cheap shiny ones from the supermarket...work great). Tuck the loaves into the oven with the water. Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pan. It took mine about 50 minutes.


Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove loaf pans from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 35-50 minutes, depending on your oven. To test doneness: Insert a toothpick or knife into the center to see if it comes out clean or doughy. Clean is good.

Remove bread from oven, and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes- then remove and put onto a well ventilated area (I put mine on top of my strainer to cool).

Never refrigerate this or other bread—it will get dry and hard if you do. If you leave the bread on the counter (wrapped), it will be good for all purposes for a couple of days. Or freeze if you take your time eating it, like I do...

I'm not kidding you this bread is amazing. On the other site, some people went so far as to saying it brought tears to their eyes. It's so good. In fact, I'm going for another piece right now.



So, I just took this picture of a half-loaf, and I'm considering going back for a third piece. Unbelieveable.

Make it.
Do it.

All flours are available at Whole Foods- save yourself some money by buying the other ingredients somewhere else.
OMG.

Let's Eat Guilt Free Bakery

While I was in Nanaimo a few weekends ago, my Dad took me to a bakery that he had heard about called, Let's Eat Guilt Free. It's a tiny, hole-in-the-wall bakery, attached to a European deli. We were greeted by an incredibly enthusiastic saleswoman, who pushed on us a sample of nearly every product in the bakery...

and I'm glad she did.

Seen below is their "Dried Tomato and Herbs Bread", which is one of the many varieties of loafs they have!


We tried so many things...muffins, breads, cookies...all the delicious treats that someone who can't eat gluten isn't allowed to.

They offered sugar-free and dairy-free options, while everything was gluten-free. GLORIOUS! My Dad and I ended up leaving with 3 loafs of bread, and a half-dozen cookies...although I wish I had left with more.

They don't have a website, but they do have a Facebook page, so check them out- and if you're ever in Nanaimo, absolutely make a visit. I know now that my visits to Nanaimo won't be without a trip to this fabulous bakery.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-Eat-Guilt-free/368655409824935

My struggle to find a good gluten-free bakery in Vancouver continues. I have been searching for somewhere that makes their own gluten-free loafs...not just sells some other companies frozen ones.

Earlier this week I went to Quejo's Cheesebuns on Main St. I arrived just as they were pulling out the Soy (non-dairy) options right out of the oven. It smelled amazing, but I was sorely disappointed with the final product. I purchased 4 buns from them (traditional Brazilian cheese buns made with tapioca) in a variety of flavours, and carried them home to be consumed!

When I cut open the cheese bun, it looked like an uncooked, gooey mess. That's the tapioca. You know the "bubbles" in bubble tea? Well, It looked like a colourless, mashed up version of those in the middle of what was supposed to be my delicious lunch.

Taste-wise- not. good. I was hoping for bread- and what I got was jello bread. Nasty.

I don't necessarily blame the work of the bakery- but the product itself.


Anyways- the search continues for a gluten-free bakery in Vancouver that competes with what I had in Nanaimo.
I even tried making my own loaf of bread earlier this week---to have another fail. It just didnt rise. and no rise= a dense block. HOWEVER- I plan on trying again...and we'll see what happens!


Today I plan on making some Cinnamon buns- so there should be a post..unless they fail...which there will be no post.

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

I realized this morning that I had 12 frozen bananas, just waiting to be made into delicious banana bread...or something.

Truth is, I made banana bread and muffins, from two different recipes.
The banana bread was an epic fail. It took twice the amount of time to bake, and was just terrible.

Lesson learned: TAKE CAUTION WITH INTERNET RECIPES!

However...

I found a fantastic Banana muffin recipe that turned out perfectly. The muffins are absolutely delish.

Banana Corn Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

5 overripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 cup corn flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking power
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the bananas, applesauce, and sugar. Add the eggs and canola oil and continue to stir until well-mixed.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well to incorporate. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin tins. Bake for 22 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm from the oven, if possible. If not, refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve, then heat in the microwave.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a good old English dish. I've had it too many times to count and you can customize it by adding or subtracting any veggies you'd like. Add peas, corn, or broccoli if you so desire. This dish can also be made with lamb, but there was no fresh ground lamb available to me- so I went with beef! You can also double up the potatoes if you like a nice, thick layer of potatoes on top.

My family always ate it with ketchup...so I added ketchup on top when I served it. This is up to you...it's also delicious just on it's own!

The trick is to keep sampling till you have the seasonings JUST right :)



Sauce:

1.5 cups Almond Milk
1.5 tablespoons Gluten-Free Flour Mix (use a blend...there are several recipes online)
2 Leeks- chopped into 1/2 cm strips
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp dried Rosemary
1/4 salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup red wine

Filling:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 pkg ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
1 pkg brown mushrooms, quartered (or more if you love mushrooms!)
1 large red bell pepper chopped
30 baby carrots cut in half
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 cup Chicken Stock (look for gluten-free!!!)
1 pkg baby red potatoes (or more!)


FOR SAUCE:

Combine milk and flour in blender. Blend at high speed for 30 seconds.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add leeks, thyme, rosemary, salt, and 2 tbsp water.
Steam-saute until leeks are lightly browned.
Stir in the garlic powder, wine, and reduce liquid by half.
Gradually add milk mixture until sauce is smooth. Don't allow to boil!

FOR POTATOES:
Boil potatoes until soft.
Strain and return to pot.
Add 4 tbsp olive oil.
Mash, with skins.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

FOR FILLING:

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season beef with salt and pepper, and cook until browned.
Add the vegetables and stock.
Stir.
Cover and cook for 8 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a large casserole dish.
Spoon mashed potatoes evenly over the mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Serve with any extra topping you'd like:

Ketchup!
Hot Sauce!
Melt some cheese or faux cheese on top!

More wonderful recipes in this book:

I love snacks.

Who doesn't love the crunch of a potato chip? I have spent many years training on how to eat entire bags of chips in one sitting.

Potato chips are risky if you've got allergies though.

Watch out for MALT vinegar- GLUTEN

Watch out for all sorts of dairy ingredients. I used to ignore dairy if it was in chips...but it really isn't something you should do.

Watch out for WHEAT. It's sneaky and can show up in the chip, or in the seasoning.

I went out to Whole Foods, and under recommendation from a friend, bought Pop Chips. They are always gluten-free, and some of their flavours are vegan.
My verdict:
Disappointing...They're "popped" so they have the consistency of more of a rice cake than a potato chip. I wasn't crazy about the Salt and Vinegar flavour either. Probably won't buy them again.

There are so many wonderful brands of gluten-free snacks. Mostly made of corn or rice, they are sure to satisfy.

Buy some blue corn chips and dip them in some fresh salsa.
Buy some Kettle Brand chips- but watch out for dairy and malt in a few of their flavours.
Buy some rice crisps...my favourite are Lundberg Rice Chips- try the Sesame and Seaweed flavour.


HOWEVER: If you like to avoid chips in general- there is a solution....

KALE CHIPS!

I've found that Black Kale is the best type of kale to go with if you're going to use this recipe. The leaves are thicker and make for a better "chip". Look for darker, denser kale at the grocery store that looks like this...





LAURA'S KALE CHIP RECIPE:

Heat oven to 275 degrees F.

In a bowl, separate the leaves of kale from their thick stems. (A trick for this is to pinch the stem between two fingers, and slide up towards the top of the leaf. It separates the tough stem from the leaf. Any stem that comes with the leaf is fine enough to eat)

Drip a SMALL amount of olive oil over the leaves, and massage in with your hands.

Add some freshly cracked sea salt...or if you don't have a garlic allergy like me, sprinkle some garlic powder over the leaves.

Arrange leaves (leave spaces between each....this is very important!!) on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Bake in oven for approximately 10 minutes- leaves should be crispy, but NOT brown.

And finally...

CONSUME!

Let's Talk About Pasta

I had my first rice pasta dinner last night, and WOW is rice pasta delicious. A very similar texture, and, dare I say, even better taste!

For those allergic to gluten, and eggs, this pasta has neither!

Fry up some veggies: sugar peas, mushrooms, red pepper, and onion, add some pasta sauce, season with salt and pepper, and stir this delicious mix into the cooked rice pasta.

When cooking the rice pasta it's important to rinse the pasta after cooking- just like you should with wheat pasta.

Get yourself up to your nearest grocery store (I got mine at Whole Foods), and pick up a bag of rice pasta. Delicious!

This is the good stuff, folks.

Potato Leek Soup

Gluten-free/Dairy Free soup!

Soup is honestly so easy to make and so rewarding. I don't know why I don't make it often enough.

If you're living dairy-free, but not gluten-free, you've GOT to try this one:

http://www.food.com/recipe/cream-of-asparagus-soup-vegan-18803

I've made it several times, never being disappointed. It's amazing. Unfortunately, now that I'm living gluten-free, it's out of my books.

Today's project is Cream of Potato Leek Soup!

And guess what. It was delicious. Even my dairy-eating, gluten-eating, regular type diet man loved it!


The ingredients list is very simple:

1.5 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
3 large Leeks
Dairy-Free Milk Substitute (I used Almond)
Salt
Pepper
Gluten-Free Chicken Broth
Olive Oil
Chives (optional)

Heres the recipe:
TO PREP:
Peel and chop 1.5 pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes (into 2 inch chunks)
Cut white and light green part of 3 large leeks into 1 inch sections

NEXT:
Fry leeks over low/medium heat with 2 tbsp Olive Oil until semi-soft
Add 1 L of Chicken broth, and put in potatoes.
Cook over medium heat until potatoes are soft.
Add 1 1/4 cup milk substitute
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Blend in a blender till smooth

Put back on the stove, and cook for an additional 20 minutes over low heat.

Top with chives, and if you're feeling crazy- crunched up tortilla chips!