Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been thinking about cookies recently. Warm, with gooey chocolate chips, dark chocolate. The smell of them baking. Savouring them with a warm, bitter, creamy cup of coffee. The cookies are the sugar.

Gluten-free living has turned me into a baker. I have had to start from scratch. Find and try new recipes because my old ones will no longer work with the new flours. Yes, you can substitute GF flour mixes cup-for-cup for wheat flour in recipes. It is possible but the results are not always the same or good. Gluten flour reacts differently to moisture than all my various gluten-free flours.

Secretly, I admire gluten. He does something special to food. He was versatile, forgiving, and allowed for great creativity. I am left in a void, a vacuum without him in my life. I have to relearn everything it seems- it's fun but also frustrating. This is sounding a little like a break-up spiel. I think of gluten fondly, with a little longing. I am happy he is gone from my life. I feel well again without him, but he did do some wonderful things for food.

I actually do not eat cookies often, homemade or store-bought. They are not something that I make frequently or that I am tempted into buying at coffee shops. I have had my favourite recipe since I was 15- two of them actually. An oatmeal raisin and a soft chocolate chip recipe. I very rarely try new cookie recipes. My old standards are amazing and completely satisfying. Every time.

Since making this lifestyle swap I have tried a few GF chocolate cookie recipes and I have come to this conclusion. I am sticking with my old standby recipe. Amazingly, it does work for the cup-for-cup swap. I keep my flour mixes heavy on the starches and I add a 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. And, interestingly, to achieve that rounded cookie I crave, it works best when I cover the dough and allow it to sit over night in the fridge.

I have followed this advice of numerous blogs in this though: I bake them for precisely 12 minutes for thawed and 14 minutes for frozen; and then I allow them to sit on the warm pan for two to three minutes before removing to a wire rack. Yes, they will look under done but resist the urge to leave them in the oven for longer. If you try to put them on the rack right away, they may try to fall apart on you. Let them sit briefly. I don't know why this method works, but it does.

I personally am a huge fan of the warm chocolate chip cookie. When I decide to make a batch of cookies I will mix them up, bake a few to eat right away, and then the rest are rolled into slightly flat balls and frozen. This way I can bake up two or three cookies anytime I crave a dessert or a late night treat- or if I need a dessert for company. They will keep well in an air-tight container in the freezer for months. And this way, being single and the only one to empty the cookie jar, I am not forced to consume thousands of calories worth of cookies within a few days. It's win-win.

If you do choose to bake them all, they are just as good the next day. I have tested this out, just so I can report it to you. Cookies for breakfast- not healthy, but they did taste great. As long as you don't over bake them, they do not turn into those brittle, grainy disks that I am sure most gluten-free people know about.

You want my recipe? Someone is going to have to post a request for it...

Reasons Why I am an Idiot & Meatloaf

Reason number one, and the biggest one: I ate a cheddar bagel yesterday morning.

I was running late because of my dental appointment and I had yet to eat anything for breakfast. Tim Horton's was calling my name. I really miss sinking my teeth into a warm, buttery sesame seed bagel sometimes. (I haven't tried making my own bagels yet but I probably should soon.) I couldn't resist and didn't want to.

I have been toying with the idea of testing my reaction for several weeks now. It's been weeks of talking myself out of KFC, ordering pizza, or stopping for a toasted sub. I know that it's stupid to do but being gluten-sensitive or intolerant and not a celiac means that gluten interacts with my system differently. I don't get an autoimmune reaction.

Gluten just doesn't agree with me- it acts like an allergen. I really want to believe that someday, I can get enough of the allergen out of my system that I can introduce it again with limited and infrequent meals. That I could eat at other people's homes again without being a kill-joy. I can also have food combination reactions that are not standard to every gluten-sensitive person out there which helps fuel my desperate belief. I can usually tolerate gluten better when it is eaten with protein. Sugary, gluten-filled food give me an instant headache reaction. Too much coffee in a day can mess with me too.

My food intolerances change based on where I am in my cycle too. Dairy is a great example of this. I am lactose intolerant- milk gives me stomach aches and bloating. BUT in the week before my period even the lactose-free stuff has the power to give me migraines, nausea, and the runs. There is also a short period when I can consume regular milk products with little reaction.

Back to my bagel. Yesterday I felt great. It's easy to convince yourself that gluten is fine when you suffer with delayed reactions. By evening, I did notice that I was warmer than usual and my jeans were too tight. Not just the waist either. The thighs and hips were also tight. Everything about me was swollen and bloated. Still fine, nothing to get alarmed about. I have difficulty drinking enough water in a day it could be water retention.

Today, I am back on the gluten free bandwagon 100%! I have a huge headache and brain fog. My back hurt when I woke up this morning. My face is burning and red. I am bloated to the point of pain. I am hungry and nauseated at the same time. Eyes are burning and I am running a slight fever. I alternate between the chills and being overly warm. Mostly, though, it's the brain fog that bothers me. I can't focus and the world looks funny or off. Like through a tunnel or as if you are out of body.

So, yes. Gluten is still my enemy.

Marinara Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup GF bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Mix all the ingredients together. Place in a greased loaf pan.

1/2 cup pasta sauce
3 slices Swiss cheese

• Top your loaf with pasta sauce. Bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove and top with sliced Swiss cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
• Let sit on your stove or counter to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Remove from pan, or drain fat and slice in pan.

Sorry, this was soooooo good that it didn't last long enough for pictures.
This, plus mashed potatoes, salad, and good company, was dinner last night.
And both my cheeses were lactose free types. Always are.
I am the lazy cook, who double toasted a piece of bread and crushed it to get bread crumbs. If I had had some Glutino sheet crackers- that would have been my crumb of choice. I doubled the seasoning because I like the meatball flavour- if you find it's too much reduce next time. I am going to increase the pasta sauce next time I make this one.

Breakfast Quinoa

I know that my photos leave something to be desired, but I would rather post with a poor photo than none at all. I have skipped over recipes on other blogs and sites because of this. I want an idea of what I would be getting. A great photo can make anything appetizing, trust me I have tried some million dollar photo recipes and been disgusted. You sometimes have to look past the photo to consider the concept, the flavours, the texture of a recipe. It's kind of like shopping, the photo should make you want to "buy" the recipe. So sorry, in advance.

I went to a Couchsurfing potluck gathering with my Quinoa Kale Salad a few days ago. Surprisingly, it was a hit. I was a bit afraid I would be the crazy vegan-esque person in the crowd, but I chose the salad because it is a complete meal and I usually count on not being able to eat anything at social function. Gluten-free is limiting after all. I got into a conversation with a lovely girl about quinoa and she suggested this recipe.

I was skeptical. I have soft-food texture issues. I mean, even the thought of oatmeal makes me want to start gagging. But I have a personal rule, try everything at least once. So I did, and I loved the results. Crunchy, nutty, slightly sweet. I have had to amend her suggested recipe since I can no longer eat almonds, but I think its just as good as hers would have been.

Breakfast Quinoa
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
3-4 Tbsp coconut cream
2 tsp brown sugar
dash of salt
1-2 Tbsp dried cranberries
Toasted coconut or almonds, optional

Soak your quinoa for several minutes. Drain well. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and add the quinoa. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered, or until the water is absorbed. (Soaking for less than 5 minutes will increase the cooking time.)

Toast coconut or almonds in a pan while the quinoa cooks, if you are adding.

To the cooked quinoa, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and enjoy warm. This amount is for one person, but you can easily double or triple it. Reheats well.

I suppose you could add things like cinnamon, fresh fruits, or use almond or regular milk. My can of coconut milk was severely separated so what I scooped out was solid coconut cream. It just made for a thicker, richer porridge.

I use red quinoa. It's the only kind I have tried to date so I can't tell you the differences, just that I like it.

You could omit the brown sugar if you wanted or if you choose to use almond or sweetened  milk. I found that it bought out the flavour and made it more breakfast-y.

Honey Bread - The best and most versitile dough!

This has become my go-to bread recipe. I can't begin to tell you how many different recipes I have tried in the 9 months since starting my gluten-free journey. Some were good, some were flops, and others were just "good for GF". I would find a nice recipe, make it a few times before looking for another to try. I couldn't settle on any one bread recipe.

This one is consistently awesome and it doesn't seem to matter which flours I swap in or out of the blend. And I do. I have my favorite flours. Buckwheat is my favorite and gives a whole-wheat feels to any recipe. Sorghum makes things slightly sour so I save it for when the end result is sweet or spiced. Potato starch keeps products moist so I love it in cakes. If you do a lot of GF baking, I am sure you know and have your own favorite flours.

Ethiopian spiced honey bread

1 large loaf

Ingredients

2-1/2 teaspoon Active dry yeast

1/4 cup Water, lukewarm (110°F)

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 cup Honey

1 tablespoon Ground coriander

1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Ground cloves

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup warm Milk

6 tablespoons Butter, melted

4 cups Flour

Method

1.    Proof the yeast with warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until foamy. I do this step even for my instant active yeast.

2.    In the bowl of your mixer, beat together the egg, honey, spices and salt until smooth. Stir in the yeast mixture, milk and melted butter.

3.    Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition to prevent billowing powder. I use ½ cup each: brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, cornstarch, teff flour, sorghum flour, and arrowroot starch plus 3 tsp Xanthan gum. Do not add all of the flour if the dough gets too stiff. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. It should look like a

4.    Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead with a spatula or with hands. Use a few more Tbsp white rice flour to knead the dough into a ball.

5.    Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

6.    Remove the dough again to a lightly floured work surface. Form the dough into a round or braided loaf. Place on an oiled baking sheet or on parchment. Allow to rise again, another 30 to 45 minutes. Brush the top of the dough with an egg beaten with a little milk for a nice shiny brown crust.

7.    Bake at 325F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Let cool before slicing.

Variations

 

   Cinnamon Buns

           Omit coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Roll dough into a large square for cinnamon buns or for fried doughnuts dusted with cinnamon sugar.

   Pizza

      Omit coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Add another egg. Use fingers to form into several large pizza shells. Blind bake at 350F for 10 to 14 minutes, brushing with olive oil halfway through. Top with your choice of toppings and broil for 5 to 8 minutes. Dough is light, spongy with great taste. I prefer my pizza chewy, but as far as shells that cooked all the way through- this recipe has given me greatest success!

   White Bread

      Omit coriander, cumin and cloves. Substitute teff, sorghum flour for another lighter colored/flavoured flour. Reduce ingredients by one third in order to get a single standard loaf.

   Donuts
     Omit spices except cinnamon. Replace Teff flour with Buckwheat or Quinoa flour. Roll dough out until 3/4 inch thick. cut into donut shaped rings. I use a large glass and an old film container. Fry in oil at 355F until brown on both sides. Remove to papertowel. Cool enough so you don't burn your fingers and toss in cinnamon-sugar. The warmer the donut the better the sugar will stick.

Bean Cakes or Black-eyed Pea Fritters

I found this recipe courtesy of Pintrest. I was trying to find ways to use my dried black eyed peas and stumbled across this gem.  It tastes exactly like the Bean Cakes my family used to enjoy when we lived in Mali, West Africa. Even more exciting since no one knew the ingredients or how to replicate them. My mother remembers them having pieces of hot scotch bonnet peppers mixed in the fritters from Mali and pieces of dried fish in the version from Cote d’Ivoire. Either way, these are delicious!

The original recipe for Accara can be found on saveur.com with the description, “Crisp, light-as-air fritters like these are a popular street snack throughout Senegal and the rest of west Africa. They’re usually accompanied by chile-hot, tomato-based kaani sauce.”

Bean Cakes (Accara or Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)

MAKES 30 FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ small onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Canola oil, for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the black-eyed peas in a large container or bowl and cover by at least 2 inches of water. Let soak for at least 12 hours or overnight.

2. Remove the skins from the peas. You can do this by massaging with your hands or by placing the peas in a blender and gently pulsing a few times to loosen. Rinse and massage the peas repeatedly until all the skins have been washed away. You should be left with perfectly white pieces. This step is time consuming but important.

3. Place peas, baking soda, onion, salt and pepper, and 3 tbsp. water in a blender and purée until smooth.

4. Heat 2 inches of oil in a pan or heat your deep fryer to 365°. Use two small spoons to drop tablespoon-sized balls of batter in oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes.

5. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with kaani sauce.

Sosu Kaani (Chile Sauce)

MAKES 2 CUPS

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
3 medium tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile, minced
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat; add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized. Use gloves to chop the scotch bonnet pepper. Add to the pan with tomatoes and bay leaf. Cook, stirring often, until sauce is reduced and thickened. Our tomatoes did not add much water to the pan so cooking time was short.

2. Remove and discard bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Purée in a food processor or blender. If mixture is too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time. End result should be a thick paste. Store in a container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

GF Raspberry Coffee Cake

Never have been so proud of something I baked! I had raspberries that desperately needed to be eaten and no clue what to make. The recipe I wanted to try called for scale, which I don’t have. I considered pound cakes and loaf recipes before stumbling onto a rhubarb strawberry coffee cake recipe by Nicole Hunn that looked promising. Promising, because it accounted somewhat for the moisture in the fruit so it was a solid place to start. And wow! The results were amazing. (Picture just doesn't do it justice!)

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I ate 3 large pieces the first night. Sometimes your baking is best fresh, but this cake was just as good, if not better, the following afternoon! I took it into work to share with my GF colleague and my two coffee break buddies. They loved it too. They only knew it was gluten-free because I made it. 

This recipe is what all gluten-free baking should be. It was awesome, and not just “good, for gluten-free.” It was moist without being soggy.

Gluten-free Raspberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• CRUMBLE TOPPING
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (or dairy-free spread), softened
• 1/2 cup fine white rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• FRUIT RIBBON
• About 2 cups fresh raspberries, washed and dried
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup white rice flour
• BATTER
• 2 cups gluten-free flour mix
• 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 3/4 cup tapioca starch or cornstarch
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt, buttermilk, or sour milk
• 6 extra-large eggs

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9”X13” pan.

Combine all of the Crumble topping ingredients. Blend with a fork until well-combined. It will have the consistency of cookie dough. Place in the refrigerator until directed to use.

Wash fruit gently and set aside to dry on a paper towel. Do this well in advance so that your berries have minimal moisture on them. I used about 2 cups of raspberries. I didn’t measure because they were fresh and very soft. I didn’t want to crush them more than necessary. You need enough for a single layer in your cake pan, occasionally touching but not thick from edge to edge. You can also measure and set aside the 6 Tbsp brown sugar and 1/2 cup of flour at this time if desired. I don’t use commercial flour mixes, but you could.

To make the cake batter: In the bowl of a counter top mixer, combine the 2 cups flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. I highly recommend the using the mix ratio suggested. Potato starch is my new favorite baking friend- it makes everything turn out moist and more like gluten-filled cakes and breads.  *Potato flour and starch is not the same thing, and they are NOT interchangeable.

Add the butter, vegetable shortening, and sour milk, and mix. My margarine is GF and casein free; and I used lactose free milk with about a tablespoon of lemon juice in it. Adjust to suit your dietary needs.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn up the mixer and let it run for a few minutes. The batter should spread easily- be thick but workable.

Scrape the about 2/3 of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, and spread evenly. Dust half the reserved flour over the batter. This is to help keep the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Layer the raspberries on top the cake batter. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the berries and dust with the remaining flour. Pour the reserved batter over the fruit evenly and use a spatula to ensure it is all covered. Make sure you save enough batter to cover from edge to edge! (I don’t recommend using less than 2/3 on the bottom because the fruit will sink quite a bit.)

Immediately place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cake should be no more than lightly browned on top at the end of this baking period. Remove the crumble topping from the refrigerator, and fluff with a fork. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle with the crumble topping in an even layer. My crumble resembled cookie dough so I used a spoon and my finger to drop small lumps evenly over the top of the cake. Cake should be firm enough that it doesn’t collapse from the weight at this stage.

Return the pan to the oven, and bake for another 20 minutes, until the topping is cooked and a little crisp.

Remove from the oven, and allow it to cool completely in the pan before removing the cake from the pan. Slice into squares with a serrated knife.

Gluten Intolerance and the Intolerable Headache!

I am about 7 months gluten-free at the point of writing this. I actually never thought this milestone would come. When I started out, the 6-month mark seemed forever into the future. Not because I doubted my ability, but because in terms of meals- that's at least 180 breakfasts, 180 lunches, 180 dinners, and even more snacks that have to happen before you get there.

When I started on this journey, I read all the comments and information about the process taking half a year just get the 'aftershocks' of gluten out of your system. All along the way there have been milestones. Positive things that told me I was on the right path.

• Two weeks to get my stomach to stop acting out with everything.
• Two months to get over the insane exhaustion and need for extra sleep.
• Three months to get from 4/10 days to start having regular 6 or 7/10 days.
• Four months for my metabolism to restart.
• Six months for the inflammation in my eyes to go away.

Not joking about that one. About a month ago I started experiencing daily headaches and noticeable eye strain when at my computer. Wearing my glasses while at my desk on the computer gave me migraine like head pain and mild nausea. I couldn't read books with my glasses on anymore. So I made an eye appointment to see if that was the problem.

Headaches have been a part of my existence for the past 18 months or so. It can take me a while to identify the cause. Eventually I do, and then I make a change which gives me a temporary reprieve. Then something else makes itself known. A year ago, the headache after eating was actually the trigger for me even considering food as my enemy.

Back to the eye appointment - I have to admit to total shock at having my Eye Doc tell me that my prescription is far too strong and that is why I am experiencing nearly debilitating pain, daily. My left eye is a little better, but my right eye is a whole different story! My right eye went from -1.75 to -1.00 suddenly. That's a cut by nearly half the prescription for that lens.

I have worn glasses since I was 15. I have had my prescription change once in 15 years; it got marginally stronger. So you can imagine my shock when the doc tells me that my eyes are getting better. It's rare, but apparently possible. Honestly, the only thing I can see is a correlation between inflammation in my eyes and diet changes. Gluten causes inflammation in the gut and beyond. Inflammation is the cause of like 90% of gut cancers and diseases. Undiagnosed gluten intolerance can cause auto-immune and other illnesses. Is it possible that my gluten intolerance caused my vision problems to start with? The clinical depression started in middle school, glasses followed a year or two later. Retrospect is a powerful thing.

Glasses are my accessory of choice. I own several pairs. I change them to match my outfits or mood. I express myself through them. I don't wear much jewelry, and I wear make-up only infrequently. I love my glasses!

I switched over 2 pair to the new prescription, but I haven't decided about the rest. I am a little scared that my vision will continue to improve with time and the money spent will be wasted.

I have yet to find another story like mine online, but I will keep looking! Someone else has to have had this experience with their vision. Right?