Cinnamon Cream Cake

Cinnamon Cream Cake

I do this all the time. I grab some things and throw them together to make something on the spur of the moment. Then later, while we're all enjoying it, I wish I had written the recipe down precisely. But nevermind. I think I can remember what I put into this one...(or so you hope! Hahahaha.)

Goes good with coffee! :)

Believe it or not, this cake is a bean cake. No flours of any kind were used to make it. We're actually having it for breakfast with coffee. Yum. My son declares it is fabulous. I'll be posting the recipe soon...have to do homeschool work right now.

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken

Sad because you can't order chicken nuggets, chicken strips or fried chicken at restaurants anymore? Well, buck up; because you CAN still enjoy savory fried chicken--gluten free! ...IF you're willing to get to work in the kitchen.
* See note at bottom for an easier method.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup corn flour*
1/4 cup tapioca flour*
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg
1 pound chicken breasts
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Pour an inch of oil into a large frying pan and heat to medium high.
Mix flours, salt and seasonings. Feel free to experiment with your own. Prepare chicken breast to suit your tastes: nuggets, strips, whatever you like. Crack your egg into a small bowl and stir it up. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg then the flour mixture to coat it evenly. Gently lay the breaded chicken in the hot oil and cook on both sides for a few minutes until done.

I find that the more crumbly the flour mixture becomes, the more crunch you get on your chicken. So each time your fingers become caked with the egg/flour combination, just crumble it off into the flour and work it into the mixture.

* Don't have these? Experiment with what you DO have. Just keep the same proportions.


* If you don't have all of these flours, you can try just rice flour in place of all the others. The texture and outcome will be different, but to a Celiac, it's better than no fried chicken at all. When cooking regular fried chicken and gluten free fried chicken for the same meal, be sure to cook the gluten free chicken first to avoid cross contamination for them.

My Celiac Story...

I first discovered my gluten sensitivity in the early months of 2009.  Strange fatigue, bloating, muscle aches, headaches and more. I had even noticed that the whites of my eyes were tinged brown. My hair was thinning  and my skin looked so old suddenly. I had just turned 30...was it possible to age this fast? I had felt off balance for a while even before I noticed the physical changes. I was like a loaded spring, ready to snap at any minute--as my family could attest. A chemical imbalance was a very big possibility. Not to mention I had been avoiding society for several months prior for no comprehensible reason whatsoever.

I kept a close watch on how I felt and what I ate. That's how I linked my fatigue and cloudy headed feelings with eating processed grains. I decided to stop eating anything made from processed flours and almost immediately felt better. After five weeks I knew I was onto something big. I looked 10 pounds thinner, despite the fact that my weight was exacltly the same! Not only that, but my life-long intestinal problems were resolved as well. I have always suffered from irritable bowel-like problems--as far back as preschool age, I recall frequent painful, trips to the bathroom through the scary dark hallway in the middle of the night. (These gut wrenching spasms have followed me all of my life until I went gluten free).

I visited my doctor and had a simple blood test which came back negative for Celiac's disease. My doctor recommended a GI-introscopy and a few more run-arounds, but this all required that I eat a normal wheat diet. I decided that my own personal results were too strong to ignore. Re-introducing wheat puts me right back where I started, without fail--friends whispering, "she looks pregnant again!", midnight cargo dumps and all. I don't want to live that way and don't feel I need a proper diagnosis to keep myself on track.

**With my new knowledge of Celiac's Disease, it's genetic inclination and many peculiar manifestations, I've come to believe that a gluten-free diet is what my children need, as well. I've made the switch for all of us and strive to keep gluten off of my shelves in all of its many hidden forms.

I hope that this blog will help and support you. Feeling good again is worth the effort! Don't give up.

Wondering if you might have it too? Check out these helpful links:
Symptoms of Celiac's Disease
Celiac Central's symptoms checklist

**edited June 2012--keeping my entire family gluten free has proven to be a monumental task.  Potlucks, visits to friends or grandparents, Sunday School snack time, etc... all conspire to make it nearly impossible.  And the worst part of all is the naysayers who think you're insane for being concerned about your family's health.

Gluten Free Lasagna

The lasagna was a BIG hit. A bit labor intensive, but totally worth it! It's not often that I cook a meal that all three of my kids want to eat seconds of. My oldest child won't stop talking about how much he loved it. My husband said I should post the recipe so here it is.  This is an adaptation from the original recipe by Jodie Buck who's Italian grandfather taught her.

INGREDIENTS:

Lasagna Noodles:
1 1/4 c. rice flour
1/2 c. potato starch
1/4 c. tapioca flour
3 eggs
1/4 c. water

Sauce:
2 cans tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes (I prefer italian seasoned)
4 cloves garlic
2 T basil
2 T parsley
1 T oregano
2 T Romano cheese--shredded (optional)

Cheese filling:
12oz ricotta
16oz cottage cheese
5 oz. parmesan cheese--grated (more if desired)

Additional ingredient:
1 lbd Mozzarella Cheese Shredded

INSTRUCTIONS:

For noodles:
Mix dry ingredients, then add the eggs and stir. Add the water as needed. Add more water or flour as needed to form a stiff, not sticky yet soft dough.
I recommend rolling it very thin with a rolling pin on plastic wrap and just laying a large piece down for each layer. I did use my pasta machine, but next time I think I'll just roll it out. One helpful tip: I found that it sticks to everything but plastic wrap. I layed the pieces on plastic wrap then transferred them by laying the pieces on the lasagna, plastic-wrap-side up and peeling the plastic wrap off carefully.

Sauce:
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Microwave the sauce in a glass dish for 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool a bit.

For cheese:
Mix all of ricotta and cottage cheese. Stir in 2/3 of the parmesean and reserve 1/3 for topping the lasagna. I found that my ricotta was very unflavorful and seemed low quality, so I added 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup of skim milk to the mixture.

Assembling the Lasagna:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
I used a large glass pyrex casserole dish. Start with a generous layer of sauce on the bottom then a layer of noodles. Next add a generous layer of the cheese mixture, followed by a layer of mozzarella, then a generous amount of sauce. Lay down the next layer of noodles, cheese mixture and mozzarella then top with the parmesean cheese. Cover with aluminum and bake for 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake 15 - 30 minutes longer. Cheese should be bubbly and toasted.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so to allow the juices time to reabsorb and solidify.
Like I said, this is totally worth it!

Hearty Choco Stix

I wanted to make something that my kids could eat in place of graham crackers. I also wanted to make sure they packed a powerful punch of nutrients. So I got out my coffee grinder and all the beans and grains in my cabinet. After grinding away, this is what I came up with.

INGREDIENTS:
3 T fava bean flour
1/4 c millet flour
2 T mung bean flour
1/4 c tapioca starch
1/4 c rice flour
1/4 c potato starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp pure stevia powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
A dash of cinnamon
1 egg
1/3-1/2 c plain yogurt
3 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix dry ingredients and add egg and yogurt.
If you don't have these exact grains and beans, I encourage you to mix and experiment with what you have. The goal is to form a stiff dough (add more yogurt if it's too dry).
Shape into little logs and flatten.
Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Flip and bake for 4 more minutes.
Cool and coat one side with melted chocolate chips.
Yield 3 dozen.

Note: I was still out of vanilla when I made this recipe, but I really think it could benefit from a teaspoon of it.