Delightfully Gluten Free

December 10, 2007

Nana’s Cookies Review

Filed under: Healthy-ish — Cassandra @ 5:36 pm

I received some samples of Nana’s No Gluten Cookies today. Sinful and decadent, these are not. But they are pretty good. The only sugar is from fruit juice, and they are also free of dairy and eggs.

The main ingredient is brown rice flour. It is a bit grainy (but not as bad as some), and it is a little on the dry side, but that actually results in the cookie sorta melting in your mouth. I had the Chocolate Cookie and the Berry Vanilla Cookie Bar.

Both cookies are sweet enough with just the fruit juice, without being overly sweet. The chocolate cookie has a very nice chocolate flavor. It reminds me of a chocolate cake, but not as fluffy.
I like the combination of berry and vanilla flavors, and the rice crunchies in them.

Carter absolutely had a fit after I gave him a bite of each and then put the rest of the cookies away. So I know they’re a hit with him. I definitely don’t feel guilty about giving these cookies to him (like I do with my brownies). Nor would I feel guilty about eating them for breakfast.

If you’re looking for a new product, especially if you want a healthier treat or need to avoid dairy or eggs, pick up a Nana’s No Gluten Cookie next time you go to Whole Foods. Give it a try – you may like it, and like not feeling guilty about it.

Quick and Easy Hot Rice Cereal

Filed under: Breakfast,Healthy-ish,Ideas for Leftovers — Cassandra @ 4:05 pm

Carter’s not feeling too well this morning, so I wanted to make him something yummy and fairly easy on his tummy.
I took some leftover brown rice, poured in a little milk, added a splash of vanilla and a clump of dark brown sugar, then microwaved it for a minute. Because he was in no mood to wait for the rice to soften, I put in some baby rice cereal to thicken it up (think rice pudding), and a little cold milk (to cool it back down for him). It was really good.
Carter didn’t want to try it, but once I got some on his lips, he started eating it with gusto.

Green Chili Bake

Filed under: Appetizers,Breakfast — Cassandra @ 2:31 am

Mom pulled this recipe out of some magazine once, and I have absolutely no idea what, when, or where, lol.
This is a great dish to make for a breakfast or brunch. Warning – it is not low-cal, but it is really good.

Green Chili Bake

10 eggs
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup gf flour mix
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Serves 8 to 10 for brunch, or 12 to 16 as an appetizer.

GF (of course) Flour Tortillas

Filed under: Breads — Cassandra @ 2:25 am

We’ll credit this recipe to Bobbie Coughlin, over at the Delphi Celiac group. She thinks it came from a support group in Texas, but I was unable to find this recipe on any of the Texas groups’ websites. I have made this a few times and we really like them.

GF Flour Tortillas

1/4 cup each cornstarch, tapioca flour, potato starch, white rice flour and brown rice flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 generous tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water, more if needed


Mix dry ingredients and add water and oil. Let rest 10 minutes.


Divide into balls, roll into tortillas, and cook on a hot skillet.

Beef Jerky

Filed under: Healthy-ish,Snacks — Cassandra @ 2:03 am

It truly is a wonderful thing to have on hand. I had nearly forgotten about this lovely snack, until digging through my freezer yesterday (I have to defrost it – now that it’s cold outside, lol). My parents have a big dehydrator. Dad and I usually make this together.

Cassandra’s Homemade GF Beef Jerky

All measurements are approximate – I put in what feels right

A few pounds of beef – round steak, top round roast… cut into small strips

GF soy sauce (I use La Choy) – enough to cover meat, 1-3 large bottles

Brown Sugar, 2 or 3 tbsp per bottle of soy sauce

McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning – a few shakes per bottle of soy sauce

Mix marinade ingredients. Add meat. Allow to soak, covered overnight (give or take a bit depending on how strongly flavored you want the jerky). If you have a food saver, you can seal the meat and marinade in one of the containers and soak for about 20 minutes.

Lay meat on drying racks. Use the jerky setting of a dehydrator and dry for 6 hours or so (it all depends on how thick the meat was sliced and how dry you want it). You’ll need to check it to see. Best if stored in the freezer, especially if there was a lot of fat in the meat.

Enjoy.

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