Basic Fluffy Pancakes...with Bisquick replacement...

Hi all. Today I found a flour mixture that is so close to GF Bisquick that I almost did a double take. I love Bisquick...always have. Their pancakes have always been a favorite in my house, but I have found that their GF mix is a little costly.

I came upon this flour mixture by accident in a magazine and decided to give it a try with a "Basic Fluffy Pancake" recipe my mom had given me several years ago. The pancakes turned out so good that I plan on mixing several batches of the flour to have on hand for future use. Then all I will have to do is add the wet ingredients when I want to made them again.

You could make buttermilk pancakes with this mix, or blueberry. I opted for chocolate chip pancakes, and as you can see by the picture I like to make smiley faces just for fun right before flipping...My grandsons love these!

I hope your family likes them as much as mine did. I especially liked the savings! I used Bob's Mills flours which were all less than $3.00 a bag and I have loads of extra flour left over to make many more batches of pancakes.

Enjoy, and have a great wheat free day!
Sharon

 (Gluten Free flour mixture)

1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
* Use this flour mixture for the 1 cup needed in the recipe below

Basic Fluffy Pancakes Recipe:

1 cup of the above gluten free flour mixture
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, melted butter or margarine
2 large eggs

Mix the flours, baking powder, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum together in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Stir together the milk, oil, and eggs, whipping lightly.

Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture slowly until no lumps are visible. Do not over beat.

Bake on a heated griddle or frying pan until bubbles form and the under surface is nicely browned.

Lift the pancake with a turner and brown other side.

Serve immediately with butter and warm syrup, honey, or your favorite topping.

*To make Buttermilk pancakes: Use buttermilk in place of milk and replace the baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

* For Blueberry pancakes: Add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, or 1/2 cup drained canned blueberries to batter just before baking on griddle.

Serves 4





 

Mothers Day...

Hi all. Spring has finally sprung here in Ohio, and the realization that Mothers Day is around the corner just hit me...

My mother is my greatest role model, and when it comes time to buy her a special gift I am actually  at a loss for ideas.  Flowers only last for a week or so, and I really want to give her something that will give her lasting memories.

I decided to search the web for ideas and accidentally came upon a great site called At Home which has everything you can think of in the gift line, as well as home decor. I found these great gift ideas on the site with several of them on sale. I can actually give her not only flowers, but a beautiful vase that she will always have to remember her special day.

I was so impressed with the site that I actually joined as a consultant! I know....this is a gluten free site you are probably thinking....I ask you though, what could be more gluten free than Home Decor??????? :-)

Anyway I just wanted to let you know about the site, as Mothers Day will be here before you know it. I hope you will stop by. Well I am off to bake my favorite....GF BROWNIES...Yum,!

Have a great wheat free day!
Sharon

Pamela's Bread Mix...

Yesterday it was off to the store for some of my "back up" bread from Udi's in the freezer section with no luck. My favorite store was all sold out, so out of necessity I was going to have to bake a loaf on my own.

I have tried several of Pamela's products  with good results, so their bread mix being one of the least expensive on the shelf of the limited few to choose from, was my choice of the day...

I wish I had read the directions on the back of the bag however as this calls for a heavy duty mixer when making the OVEN version, but I decided to give it a try anyway. On any other day I wouldn't have minded using my trusty 5 Speed hand mixer. It has worked well with other bread mixes I have made, but today I was having a little trouble working with the mixer because of a gardening injury to my hand from yesterday. Still however, even though the consistency of the dough is quite dense, I made it through...I did however add a extra minute of mixing the batter than called for,  and definitely used the highest speed on the mixer.

 Here is a picture of the bread before rising:


I covered the pan with parchment paper and set the timer for 60 minutes. The dough rose beautifully and after placing in the oven, rose slightly more.The thing I liked most about this mix from Pamela's is that it has added Millet and Sorghum flours for slightly more fiber content. There are several recipes on the bag for a chewy pizza crust, bagels, pie crust, sweet bread, and even a egg or yeast free version. Wow! You can even use this mix in your gravies and sauces.

The directions say to bake for 60-70 minutes so I set my timer for 60 minutes and tested with a thermometer inserted in the center to see if it was done. I added just another 5 minutes to the baking time, and got a beautiful, delicious, moist loaf of bread as the results. It is a hearty tasting bread I am sure you will enjoy. Delish.

Happy wheat free day!!!
Sharon
 

Ben & Jerry's Gluten Free Ice cream list...

I scream...you scream...we all scream for Ice Cream!!!

Ice Cream
Butter Pecan
Cherry Garcia
Chocolate Fair Trade-Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
Chocolate Macadamia
Chunky Monkey
Coconut Almond Fudge Chip
Coffee Fair Trade
Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz
Crème Brulee
Mint Chocolate Chunk
New York Super Fudge Chunk
Orange and Cream
Phish Food
Strawberry
Triple Caramel Chunk
Vanilla Fair Trade
Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch

Yogurt
Black Raspberry Swirl LF Yogurt
Vanilla LF Yogurt

Sorbet
Berry Berry Extraordinary
Jamaican Me Crazy
Lemonade
Mango Mango
Strawberry Kiwi

No Sugar Added
NSA Vanilla Fudge Chip

Weight loss??? ...Scrambled eggs and Cottage cheese...

If you are like me you are always looking for new breakfast ideas. I love quick and easy in the mornings. I also like to start the day off with fewer calories knowing that my sweet tooth is going to eventually take over..I found this recipe for scrambled eggs & cottage cheese while searching the web.

I made the scramble this morning and it really hit the spot. I love both eggs (on occasion), and cottage cheese, but had never thought of paring the two before. The taste was great, and I really like the fact that I was consuming fewer breakfast calories than I normally do.

The full recipe actually serves two, so don't be alarmed if you are on Weight Watchers,  as the points are actually only 3-4 per serving. Serve with a small piece of fruit for a great start to your day.

Feeling adventurous? Try adding a few of your favorite spices such as dill, or Italian blend seasoning while cooking. I topped mine off with some chopped tomato for a little extra taste and vitamins. If you need to cut down on your cholesterol try using egg beaters. 1 egg is equivalent to 2 oz of the liquid, so you would use 6 oz total egg beaters for this recipe.  Experiment and have fun :-)

I hope you enjoy!!!
Sharon


Ingredients:

3 eggs (or 6 oz of egg beaters)
1/4 cup cottage cheese
butter
salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:

Mix the eggs, cottage cheese, salt and pepper in a blender until smooth.
* I used my small Hamilton Beach blender for this step. It is great for small jobs like this, and so much easier to clean afterwards. It sells for about $15, and is a time saver in my kitchen.

In a small frying pan, melt a little butter (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan).

Pour the eggs mixture into the frying pan. Without stirring, gently push the cooked portion to the center, continue until all the eggs are fully cooked (but not dry). I use my spatula for this step as it gets the egg mixture off the sides beautifully.

Serves 2

Calories: 137
Calories from fat: 77
Total fat: 8.6g
Cholesterol: 321mg
Total carbs: 1.3g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 12.7g
WW points: 3

** To maintain a creamy consistency to your cottage cheese, smooth the remaining cottage cheese flat before closing the container.

GF Penne with Chicken & Asparagus

INGREDIENTS:   1  box GF (Schar brand)  penne pasta 5 tablespoons light olive oil, divided 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (cut into cubes)  salt and pepper to taste garlic powder to taste 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 bunch slender asparagus spears (trim & cut into 1 inch pieces) 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook to desired texture as called for on the box. Drain, toss lightly with some olive oil so as not to stick together, and set aside.
	Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until chicken is cooked through and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken onto paper towels.
	Pour chicken broth into the skillet. Then add asparagus, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover, and steam until the asparagus is just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet, and warm through.
	Stir chicken mixture into the pasta, and mix well. Let sit about 5 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, stir again, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. This dish is delish, and serves about 8, unless you are a pasta lover like me!!! I love using Schar GF pastas as they remind me of the pastas from days gone by...

Astoria Mills Chococolate Chip Cake...

Wow, the weekend is here again and it actually seems fairly nice outside, too bad I am not in a energetic mood to work in the garden... though I did however get a few things done in the house, as we are once again getting company this weekend.

Baking and I seem to go hand in hand, and since I am now taking a Cake Decorating class for the second time in my life, I decided to bake a cake. Gluten Free of course! Chocolate is a all time favorite, well mine anyway, so I pulled out my #2 Pastry Flour mix from Astoria Mills.

There are four recipes on the back of this bag of mix and they all look delicious, but I needed a dessert for this evening. This particular mix is great for pies, pastries, cookies, pasta, biscuits, scones, cakes and pudding to name a few.

I have to admit that Trina Astor-Stewart has out done herself this time. The cake rose like a "regular" cake,  and baked evenly throughout. I used two 9" pans as opposed to the 9x12 cake pan in the directions, as I  wanted a nice tall two layer cake to decorate, and to show off my newly acquired decorating skills.....well that is if I have time :-)

I am really impressed that Astoria Mills  product line is not only wheat & gluten free, but their mixes are also free of milk, lactose, cassein, soy, bean/pea, sesame, tree nuts, peanuts and sulphates.

The only thing I would do differently with this recipe is to not only grease the cake pans, but to also line the bottoms with parchment paper as I had a little trouble getting one of the cakes out of the pan. It did however come out intact and in one piece! I would definitely give this cake recipe using Mix # 2 a HUGE thumbs up. The next time I will try leaving out  the chocolate chips for a more "real" cake feel. I might also try swapping out the applesauce with plain yogurt.This is a picture of the bottom layer of cake before icing...

I baked the batter for 25 minutes but next time will test after 20 minutes for a moister crust feel...my bad! The icing helped moisten the top however, so all is good. Everyone I am sure will love this cake. It is chocolaty, moist and delicious. Sorry, I had to do a taste test before hand as you can see from the finished photo! Mmmmmm.... No time to use my decorating skills as you can see but I am sure no one will even notice after their first bite :-)

Astoria Mills has 7 different mixes to use, with the freedom to pretty much bake anything you wish. You can visit their web site to view their hundreds of recipes at  Astoria Mills .While you are there if  you have any questions just drop Trina a line, and be sure to tell her Sharon from Wheat Free Living & Me sent ya.

Have a great wheat free day.
Sharon

Konjac Glucomannan Flour

 

If you have been eating gluten free for awhile now, you know that unless you are using  gluten free flour mixtures, or gluten free boxed mixes that contain flours that have "some" fiber content to them, that you are lacking in this much needed nutrient.

As Americans we are fiber deficient. Fast foods, unhealthy eating habits, even living gluten free, can all be contributors to this deficiency. Adding healthy fiber to your diet is important.

Miracle Noodle offers a Konjac Glucomannan flour that is filled with soluble fiber.  Although it's cost is a little higher than cornstarch don't let the price fool you, as a little goes a long way. You can use it as a thickener as you would corn starch, just one teaspoon acts more like 10 teaspoons of corn starch!

It can be added to make gravies, or soup, or cooking sauces, as a thickening agent without added calories, and without carbs. It just simply provides the soluble fiber which your body needs. Why would you ever use corn starch again when you can use Konjac Glucomannan flour and get added fiber without any carb addition.

When baking bread or cookies, add one teaspoon of Konjac Glucomannan flour to 2 cups of your gluten free flour mixture to get added fiber. Or dissolve in water to use as a fiber supplement.

Konjac Glucomannan flour  is pure soluble fiber. It contains no fat, no sugar, no starch, it is also gluten free and wheat free. Just dissolve a teaspoon in water for 5 grams of fiber, or use it as a thickening agent like you would use cornstarch! It is the perfect fiber addition, in a imperfect world!!

You can find this and other great gluten free, carb free products to the right of this post at Miracle Noodle. After entering their site just click on the tab Konjac Flour to the left of their site for more information, and to order.

The company is now offering free shipping on all orders. Be sure to pick up their 87 page Cookbook & Diet Plan while you are on the site. It is valued at $29.99 and is yours FREE with all purchases! Looking to loose weight??? They have the products you need...visit the site and you are well on your way to a healthier, thinner life.

As always, have a great wheat free day!
Sharon

XO Baking Co. Banana Bread Mix...

This weekend I made a Banana bread with X O Baking Co.'s banana bread mix. I have tried several of their mixes before and have enjoyed them all, and this mix was no exception.

The mix makes a 9x5 loaf of bread and it was delicious and moist. I chose not to add the optional nuts or chocolate chips for my husbands sake, but I am sure it would have been even more enjoyable if I had.

The mix contains coconut flour, which impresses this baker, as it adds a little dietary fiber to the bread. You will find no rice or soy in this mix, and it is all natural. The mix also contains 0g fat or cholesterol, and only 6g of sugar per serving. It  comes in a thick foil package to preserve freshness, which is also self sealing. Their mixes are certified  gluten free, and are Kosher as well.

The Banana Bread was moist and had great bendability, no crumbling here...The light taste of the bananas was the highlight of the bread, with not even a hint of the coconut flour. This is a mix well worth writing home about! It was great smothered in butter, or without. A real go to treat in this taste testers opinion. You can visit their site at XO Baking Co. for their other great gluten free mixes as well. They have added 4 new mixes to their line: Oatmeal Cookie , Vanilla Cupcakes with Frosting, Chocolate Cupcake Mix with Frosting, and Pound Cake. I can't wait to try them all! I hope you enjoy.

Have a great wheat free day today.
Sharon
 

Noodles & Co. and Gluten Free...

Last week when my daughter came to visit I took her to her all time favorite place to eat, Noodles & Co. I had never known this company existed until we moved to Ohio for my husbands job. My favorite location is their small quaint restaurant nestled beside several other businesses along a stretch of Hamilton Road in Gahanna Ohio. Although they have several franchises in different states they were unfamiliar to this small town girl until my move to Ohio.

The first time my husband and I had visited them for lunch was before starting my wheat free living adventure and I could eat almost anything I wanted on the menu. We haven't gone there recently as I was so sure that all their foods were basically off limit except for the Pad Thai. One can not live on  Pad Thai alone ....

The day before my daughter was suppose to arrive I decided to browse their online menu  just out of curiosity as I wanted to surprise her with her favorite treat. I was pleasantly surprised at the several dishes I could actually have.

Now like any restaurant, Noodles & Co. can't promise that there might not be a chance of cross contamination, but they did everything in their power to prevent it. The waitress made sure to let the chef know I was gluten intolerant so as to use every precaution. He even washed the pan before beginning my meal.

I ordered the Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine with the substitution of rice noodles in my meal. It was absolutely delicious, and I have to say I am a little embarrassed as I ate almost the entire dish! Anyone who knows what generous portions Noodles & Co. serves might be tempted to call me "Piggy".

My daughter not only sampled my dish but had to admit it was really delicious, even though she does not eat gluten free herself. She thoroughly enjoyed her meal, and we had such a enjoyable time.

The girl who had taken our order at the counter came to our table several times to make sure we were satisfied. Now when in this type of situation I find myself quite unsure if I should leave a tip, as one actually places their order at the counter. I decided to leave a tip on the table anyway as they actually clean the tables after you leave, so I feel they deserve a small token of appreciation.

The cost for the portions they give is a drop in the bucket. Two meals with salads, and one beverage costs just a little over $15.00. I would have spent that much at a fast food drive through and not had such a healthy, enjoyable meal...

There are actually 12 items on the menu that are gluten free. I have listed them for your convenience. When visiting please let the person you place your order with know that you have gluten allergies and need to replace the noodles in these dishes with rice noodles. It also helps the chef to be more aware when preparing your meal.

Gluten free menu items by substituting rice noodles:

Penne Rosa
Pesto Cavatappi
Pasta Fresca
Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine
Spaghetti with Marinara
Buttered Noodles

Also no gluten in these:

Pad Thai
Chinese Chop Salad with fat free Asian dressing and no wanton strips
The Med Salad without Cavatappi noodles
Caesar Salad without croutons
Tossed green Side Salad with fat free Asian dressing
Cucumber Tomato Side Salad

Well I have errands to run this morning and then I am treating myself to lunch...you guessed it...at Noodles & Co.

Have a great wheat free day. I know I will!
Sharon

* I did not receive any compensation for this post what so ever. I just feel they deserve a "shout out", that is more than deserved!

Xanthan Gum & Guar Gum measurements..

Both Xanthan gum and guar gum are used in gluten-free cooking to bind, thicken and emulsify gluten free ingredients. If you don't add one of these gums to most of your gluten-free baked goods, they will likely end up very crumbly. Believe me when I say I have learnt from personal experience that this is all so true!

 One gum works about the same as the other, it basically comes down to any food allergies you may have.

Xanthan gum is a corn-based, fermented product. It's made by fermenting corn sugar with a microbial called "Xanthomonas campestris." It's used extensively in the food industry to make products thicker and is a common ingredient in gluten-free recipes for baked goods.

If you use too much xanthan gum in a recipe you may notice a heavy, gummy or even a slightly slimy texture in your baked goods. Be sure to measure carefully when using xanthan gum.
If you have a allergy or sensitivity to corn you may be advised by your physician to avoid xanthan gum. 

Guar gum comes from the seed a of bean-like  plant, sometimes referred to as the Indian tree. It is high in soluble fiber. Guar Gum is often said to have as much as eight times the thickening power of cornstarch. You must be careful when measuring guar gum in gluten-free recipes, or you may end up with heavy, stringy baked goods.

Guar gum is a high fiber product from the legume family and has been associated with gastrointestinal upset in some people. If you don't tolerate beans well in the digestive system you might want to stick to using Xanthan Gum in your baked goods.

Each type of baked good react differently if  Xanthum Gum or Guar Gum if measured improperly, so use the proper measurements for each in your recipes.

The basic measurements for each are as follows:

Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes.

Cakes, muffins, and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used.

Cookies and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per each cup of gluten-free flour used.

* If using a pre mixed flour be sure that either Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum hasn't already been added to the mix before adding more.

I hope this information helps in your future baking attempts. As always have a great wheat free day!
Sharon