Gluten Free Review: The Gluten Free Mall

While gluten free is a more recognizable term now more than ever before it is still hard to find all the gluten free food, mixes, references, support for us gluten freers. Stores and their employee's have exponetially more information on GF and celiacs then just a year ago, but not enough. Its still hard to find all the special flours, foods, and support that one needs while navigating their gluten free life. One of my favorite places to window shop and read up on the latest gluten free news is the GlutenFree Mall.

" Since 1998, The Gluten-Free Mall has offered online shopping for the finest gluten-free foods and special dietary products—we are the original "one-stop shop" on the Internet for gluten-free food.
Our selection is unmatched—we carry more than 1,000 products, and over 130 leading brands—to meet the gluten-free needs of people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD, ADHD)...or for those who just want to eat a healthier diet.
The Gluten-Free Mall is famous for its outstanding customer service and excellent prices—be sure to check out the dozens of daily specials that we offer, and our huge selection of frozen foods. Ninety-eight percent of non-frozen orders ship by the next business day.
If you're not sure where to begin, just have a look at our "Bestsellers" box which appears throughout our site (see below). We also recommend these articles:" -Gluten Free mall

They are a well established company and offer endless information and yummmmmmy foods. Basically any food that you think you cant have because its riddled with that nasty gluten you can find on this site. They offer gluten free, vegan and HEALTY foods. I am not only concerned with eliminating gluten from my food , but making health conscious food choices. Their foods are often made with simple healthy non GMO ingredients.

Along with what feels like a limitless variety of foods, they have books, gluten free reviews and articles on the latest gluten free news. I subscribe to their site and The Journal of Gluten Free Sensitivity ( also found through their site) . The site is easy to navigate , but be careful because you'll want to spend all your money as you glance over and salivate over their scrumptous looking photos.

Here is a picture of their homepage. You see on the left their categories , so you'll have no problem finding what you're looking for.

 If you subscribe they send you coupons and specials. However, everyday they offer specials that you can find on their site. So, whether you are looking for something for dinner or something as obscure as GF insect repellent this place has it!

Next time you have a moment put those fingers to work on your keyboard and check them out.


Cheers
Nic

When you choose or are forced to eat gluten free one of the things you lose is the ease of eating. It becomes harder to just pull something out of the freezer and heat it up. Gone are the days or frozen burritos and other lazy snacks like that. Gluten free living involves a lot of preparation and cooking. I often find myself settling for raw fruits and veggies when I am tired and very hungry. However, more and more retailers are providing premade and frozen gluten free foods. Gluten free is more common now then it ever has been. Now it is easier to go to local health food stores and even grocery stores chains and find something gluten free. This to me is amazing because as a wife , student and soon to be worker , by the end of a lot of days I do not have time or will to cook food.

The last time I was at our local Whole foods ( a local natural ,organic health food store with an incredible amount of GF foods) I stumbled up Starlite Cuisines taquitos!! I was excited to say the least. Not only are the GF but they are also vegan. This is a hard combination to find because most vegan and vegetarian faux meats are made out of my arch enemy , vital wheat gluten. Anytime I find a gluten vegan combo I ALWAYS try it. They did an amazing job in both taste and texture.

While I am not one for eating pre-made food everyday , its a Godsend on my long days. They are perfect for a quick snack for your gluten free kiddos, a quick fix after a long night, or a great contributor to your GF vegan Mexican dinner night.

They are also much more healthy than your every day non GF taquito. They are Vegan, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Non Dairy, No Cholesterol, No Trans Fats, Rich in Protein, 100% Natural. Guilt free and easy!!

They come in imitation beef and chicken flavors!

Ingredients: Corn tortilla (white corn, water, lime), water, texturized soy flour, onion, mushroom, soy flour, cornstarch, yeast extract, salt, evaporated cane juice, salt, chili, cumin, thyme, natural spices, garlic powder, carrageenan, expeller pressed canola or soybean oil.


They can be found at local health food stores or one of my favorite gluten free online retailers, The GlutenFree mall ( which I will be reviewing later).

Give them a try!! This gluten free gal gives them five stars!!

Have a wonderfully gluten free day

Quick an easy way to spice up your summer favs on the BBQ: Asparagus!!

Not my picture



I love love love summer because that mean BBQing. And in my humble opinion most everything tastes better when it is cooked on the BBQ. Last weekend my brother came over and we decided to BBQ some asparagus. His friend mason suggested marinating it with something you might have right in your fridge.

What you need:

Asparagus

foil

Italian dressing

freezer bag

What to do:

Cut the bottoms off the asparagus. Put in a freezer bag. poor dressing on. Shake shake shake to cover the asparagus. Let sit for a bit. Wrap in foil and throw on the grill until it is cooked to your liking!

Enjoy!

Gluten free and vegan!

If you're like me I was uncertain about the Italian dressing covered asparagus, however it was delicious!!!!! Its a quick and easy way to spice up one of MY favorite summertime BBQ favs. So, give it a try you just might like it!!

gf orange glazed tofu

I think one of the things i miss most since i had to give up gluten is Chinese food. my mom and i used to have dinner dates when my step dad went out of town(he hates Chinese food). It was soo much fun and sooo delicious.  But alas soy sauce is in most Chinese food , so i have to refrain. 
so I decided to search the web for ideas on how to make my own safe but yummy recipe for orange chicken minus the chicken!
I made this recipe by combining a few i found online. and honestly the sauce is sooooo yummy

Grocery list:
-block of firm tofu
-orange juice
-orange marmalade
-GF soy sauce
-olive oil 
-garlic
-rice wine vinegar
-fresh ginger
-corn starch


how much:

-3 medium to small cloves garlic, minced

-1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and diced into cubes

-2 tbsp olive oil

-3 tbsp soy sauce

-1/2 cup orange juice

-2 tbsp rice vinegar

-1/2 cup orange marmalade

-1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

-1 1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp water

Lets cook:

tofu prep:

Drain tofu for 30 minutes to and hour.  Then what I like to do is cut it into squares and bake it at 350 for ten minutes. This helps a lot if you don't have a tofu drainer and your tofu is a little soggy still.

sauce: 

put the  garlic and olive oil into the pain for about three minutes or till browned.  Add in the soy sauce,orange juice,marmalade,ginger,and vinegar. Stir to combine and then add tofu. Mix until coated. Add the cornstarch and water mixture.This helps to thicken the sauce. Let it come to a boil and thicken .

Then enjoy!!

Add some veggies,pasta or even meat for a wonderful meal.

Adapted peanutbutter cup shake

Today I saw this yummy shake recipe on Kyla Roma's blog and i adapted it to be a lower calorie , but just as yummy shake.

Give it a try and let me know what you think
Details:
Vegan,gluten free and yum yum yum

Shopping list:

• 2 whole bananas
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk( use more to make it less thick)
  

Directions:

Kyla's blog recommended adding the ingrdients in a specific order to so they mix properly, so add as follows

• add 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• add 1 tbsp peanut butter
• add 2 bananas
• Then Blend
  
• Nex add 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• Blend again until smooth

Chickpea nuggets

Gluten Free Chickpea Nuggets

I have about 30 small ones with this recipe

{wet ingredients}
3 C cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 T toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 small lemon, or ½ of a medium or large lemon
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3 T gluten-free soy sauce
…………….
{dry ingredients}
1 C GF flour
1-2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
½-1 tsp smoked paprika, to taste\

Directions

Mixing the wet ingredients: mash the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, lemon juice, garlic and GF soy sauce Mash again a couple of times to mix in the liquids. Chickpeas should be smooshed; some smooth, some can be partially whole.

Mixing the dry ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until thoroughly blended.

Add dry to wet. Wet hand and make lil nugget shapes. You don't want them too thick. Add a tiny bit of oil to a pan, put on medium heat and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Cover the pan with a lid so you don't have to bathe them in oil to cook them.

Let them cool and enjoy

Taste Review: boyfriend non gluten meat eater approved. I also loved them. We dipped them in ketchup. The sweetness really balanced the taste out nicely .Also try as meatballs in some yummy marinara sauce

Gluten Free Review: cookies

Celiac Snack!!

Being a celiac and not being able to cheat at all makes you miss and long for certain things. One of those things is COOKIES!! I bet you all take it for granted...an Oreo here,fresh baked chocolate cookies there, and not EVER having to read the label to avoid a night of throwing up and days of pain to follow.

So please dunk a cookie for me next time ya get one!

But for you who chose to eat GF or have to here is a list of my favorite!

1. Annie's Gluten free snicker-doodles (also have tried the ginger snaps but they are grooossss!)
They are shaped like bunnies,perfect for the lunchbox and really yummy!



2.K-toos( just like Oreos)
If you are remembering days of dunking yummy Oreos mourn no more. K-toos are soooo good,gluten and dairy free. I know I've been without Gluten for a long time ,but to me these taste just like Oreos. You be the judge.


3. Udi's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Udi's will never do you wrong.



4.Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix. These are so good! My best friend loves them,maybe even prefers them over gluteny ones.


5.Mi-del ginger snaps. These are crunchier than a fresh cookie but the taste is perfect! Got the zing that a good ginger snap has.



What your favorite cookie?

simply delicious

Recently we went and had dinner with our dear friend George. It was my job to make dessert. Since school had started I didn't have a lot of time on my hands, so I had to come up with something quick, easy, and yummy yummy yum!

So I made little chocolate turtles.

Shopping list:
1. GF pretzels ( I use Glutino)
2. Rolos or and other chocolate candy filled with caramel
3. Pecan halves.

Prep:
Preheat oven too 300
1. Lay as many pretzels as you want on a pan covered with foil
2. Put half a rolo on each pretzel
3. put in oven for 4 minutes
4. Take out press pecan half on top of the rolo
5. Let cool or eat hot. and enjoy!

They were a big hit and I can't wait to make more!

Gluten Free Review: vegan, GF, and no GMO.

I found these noodles at Lucky and the clouds parted. I mean a vegan, gluten free, no sugar, low cal and guilt free noodle how could it be bad.
These little guys are basically made from tofu and yam flour. They are packaged in a liquid just like tofu and seem like they would be good.

So I parboiled them( because they smell rotten when you open then) dried and heated them up in a pan with some veggies and sauce.

FAILLLLLL

I tried to like them I really did. But the test is lacking and the texture is disgusting. It was similar to day old calamari, or a sandy human finger. All I know is that when I eat pasta I do not want it to crunch.


They may be a low cal GF version of the noodle but I hope to never eat them again. Maybe you will like them, but no this little celiac girl.

GF shopping guide and a good laugh

Figuring out where to shop, whats at each shop, how far you have to travel just to make one meal is annoying for everyone but especially if you are dealing with potential integral organ break down if you eat the wrong thing. So, I thought I would create a nice guide for shopping where I live ( and places near by) for lovely celiacs and non gluten eaters. We can eat everything we did before and now you will know where to get it.

1. Trader Joe's: I like trader Joe's a lot , but they do not have a lot of gluten free stuff. They do offer cookie, chips and rice bread along with wonderfully labeled products so you know if you can eat them or not. Go here to see their full list of no gluten products. I suggest going over and trying their GF snicker doodles!! And click here to find all northern Ca location or go to their site and find one near you.

2. Raley's: Raley's was the first place i found with aisles set aside for natural foods and rows full of gluten free foods. They have wonderful delicious products. You can get any type of pasta, lots of safe flours and yummy treats. Go here and you can print out or read their GF food list. They have 146 locations all over California so click here and find the closest one to you.

3. Safeway: Safeway, like Raley's has natural food aisles where you can find all the GF foods together. They also have tags under their products throughout the store saying if the are gluten free along with other things. In the natural food aisle there is a couple shelves dedicated purely to GF products. It is easy to see and indicated in bright green tags. I was so happy to see these signs , so my lovely bestie Ash took this picture of me.
I had trouble finding a list from their sight but you can click here and it shows a break down like the Trader Joe's Pdf. Even if you don't have the list their store is laid out so you can find what you need. Go here to find the four closest to me or type in your zip to find ones closer to you.

4. Health hut: This is a tiny hole in the wall in Brentwood CA , with no site and lovely old lady holding own the fort. Here they have a lot of health foods, natural foods, organic products and vegan/vegetarian options. I love to get bread, cookies and other snacks here. Also if she doesn't have a product she will order it for you. Its located at 161 Chestnut Street, Brentwood, CA (925) 634-5361. Give her a call or stop buy you wont be disappointed.

5. Whole Foods: This store is amazing and probably will have everything you want, need and crave. Their prices are on the high side but without a doubt you'll find what you need. They sell really good pastries from mariposa( listed below) and have goof vegan GF options too. If it is gluten free it will be marked easily for you to see. And below is a hilarious fake rap video about whole foods!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU&feature=player_embedded#at=180

6. Target: Target offers gf hard cider, cookie and cake mixes, flour, dressings and Thai kitchen gluten free meals. So if you need something quick or need to quench your thirst check them out. Go here to see grocery options for GF shoppers. You can easily find a location close to you here.

7. Bevmo: Gluten free does not mean alcohol free! They show three gluten free beers on their site look here. But if you do a little more digging you can find more GF products on their site and in their stores. Click here to see stores with in 50 miles of Oakley.

8. Mariposa Bakery: I almost died when I found this place. They have fresh made bread, vegan gf ravioli, pastries , yummy breads and fresh made foods for lunch in their store. They can be found at the ferry building in sf, their store front in Oakland on telegraph , at farmer's markets in San Rafael and palo alto, online, in these restaurants and many retailers like Whole foods. Also you can have them mail ANY product to you. If you haven't tasted their products yet stop reading now and go to the closest location. You can find more information about this wonderful bakery here.

9.Gluten free specialty store: I have not been here yet but i often look at their site. They are located in Sacramento and are an all GF store. How could that be bad? They offer an online shop and products free of dairy, animal products corn , casein and more. Go here to find their location, directions and more about their store or take a look at their blog here . their blog talks about products, GF events and soooo much more. I hope to try this store out soon, so I'll let you know. This store is actually participating in the GF vendor fair at the camp I am volunteering at. SO, I will get to sample their delights very soon! 10. Miglet's Gluten Free Bakery :This is another one I have heard about , but have not been too. Check out the adorable designed website here. This little lady was a mother of a celiac inspired by a celiac camp ( the very one I will be volunteering for) . She is so inspiring and I can' t wait to try her treats. You can sample pies , cupcakes , cookies and more at her location in Danville or find her in these retail locations.


11. Sans a gluten free Grocery: This store is in San Rafael and was designed as a one stop
shop for foods and information. Check out their site or stop in their store to see what they have to offer.

12. Harvest house: this is a health food store in concord CA. They offer a lot of GF products along with many other healthy food choices. Click here to see what GF products they offer.They are open everyday or if you like you can shop online!

13. Sacramento Natural food Co-Op: This is a consumer-owned natural foods grocery store that places the values of cooperation and sustainability at the forefront.Their focus is to benefit their owners, support the local growers, participate in their community and protect the environment. What could possible be better than that? Well they sell some gf products their too. So save the planet, support local growers and eat GF. They have p;lenty of bread , breakfast and flour mix options just click here to see what they have. ( Davis, CA also has a Co-op with similar products)


These are just some that around my area but there are sooo much more. You might have to go a little further or do a little digging but options are out there, so don't give up.


cheers
nic

Farmer's Fresh Zucchini bread

I love summer in my area because all the surrounding town's have bunches of wonderful Farmer's Markets. Supporting local buyers and my community economy , eating fresh and in season is a wonderful treat. And I wish I could eat like this all the time. I got some delicious zucchini and decided to make what turned out to be the most incredible Zucchini bread ever. Even my pat (step dad) didn't think it tasted gluten free and let me tell you that is a big deal!

Oh and I found this handy substitute list for baking the last time I baked...I don't remember what I was out of but I thought this was awesome, so check it out http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/common-ingredient-substitutions/detail.aspx.

No on to the bread!

Grocery list:
1. Two zucchini
2. eggs
3. oil
4. vanilla
5. GF flour
6. Xanthan Gum
7. Salt
8.Baking soda
9. Baking Powder
10. Cinnamon

First combine...
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup zucchini
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Mix until blended

Next add ....
1 1/2 cup of gluten free flour ( I used Bob's Red mill)
1 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all these into the first mixture until fully blended.

Bake
Bake for 1 hour at 350

And you will be ridiculously happy and have to force yourself not to eat it all in one sitting.

Celiac Awareness month & the winners

I want to thank everyone who helped spread awareness and help me raise money. this month was awesome! I got some amazing emails from first time celiacs , got hooked up with some fellow Celiacs and got the word out there.

This is obviously important to me because I have it , but its nice to know that my cause and my life are important to people in my life and in my celiac community.

Thank you!

With the help of all you we raised my goal of 120$!!! I am overwhelmed, you are all so amazing.

And with that being said we have two winners. I used a number generator to be fair:
DaddyOandHoney: you are the winner of the GF gift basket and I hope it opens you up to new brands as you are newly diagnosed.
Joelle Piercy: You are the winner of a wonderful Team Gluten Free tee.

So I will send you two emails , so I can get your information and get you your goodies.


P.s. You rock!!

<3 your favorite celiac!

Is that gluten free: ten things you dont need to worry about

Check out this helpful link(below) from gflivining.com and find out some things you don't need to worry about when eating and why. It's always good to stay informed and to have less things to worry about. Gluten free can be easier when we stay informed !

FIRST FIVE:
1. caramel color
2. citric acid
3.glucose syrup
4. glucose syrup
5. glue

Check out the other five and explanations on the link listed below. And visit gfliving.com to find their magazine, blog or twitter!

http://www.glutenfreeliving.com/Upload/GF_10-THINGS-GFL-2011-2.pdf

And don't forget to sign up for GF awareness month giveaway. Spread awareness and if you have time click the donate button on the right side bar and donate what you can.

GF review: Kind Bars

Finding a healthy, yummy , GF snacks that don't rely on prepared GF bread or chips for me is hard. I mean don't get me wrong I appreciate well made GF bread , however its not an everyday snack or even a staple in most my meals. My preferences could make it hard on myself. I could probably make toast or eat safe chips, but I digress...

When I started this whole celiac journey I met this lovely girl named Val. She is probably one of the most caring people in the entire world and ALWAYS ALWAYS thinks of what others need long before what she needs. Well I had barley just met her and she was sending me texts telling me about kind bars. I was okay Ill look them up. I was in the thick of finals , so it took me a while. When I finally tasted some yummy flavors( probably from her house :) ) I was in love.

KIND"S all all fruit and nut healthy bars. They are made with all natural ingredients( no chemical additives, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils) to make a body stronger and healthier-and every single one is gluten free. And don't worry they don't taste like saw dust. With flavors like peanut butter dark chocolate(protein), cranberry almond(antioxidant), dark chocolate cherry cashew (antioxidant) and pomegranate blueberry pistachio you are going to be sneaking these every chance.

I love them and for me they give me the extra protein and calorie boost I need in my meals. Gluten free can feel limiting but it just takes some practice, sleuth skills and some good friends. So whether you are GF or not try these yummy yummy bars out. If you live in the east bay near me look at REI, Target, some gas stations, Costco, Starbucks, vitamin shoppe and apparently Fry's electronics lol! I also found them at a lot of shops on campus at SFSU. SO just keep your eyes open.

And a kind bar should be in my GF goodie basket for this months giveaway! Don't forget to sign up on my giveaway post for a chance , spread awareness and donate if you can. Go here to hear more about my giveaway http://elephanthour.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-awarness-celiac-awareness-and.html.

Gluten Free Review: easter candy swap!

This year I participated in The Great Candy Swap hosted over at My beautiful disaster . After explaining my concerns and needs Ms. Beautiful Disaster herself decided it would be best if she was my candy swap buddy. She said she had experience with my kind..lol well she didn't word it that way though.

I packaged up a cute Peter Rabbit( see hers here) bunny and some other delights I thought she might like and awaited my GF candy surprise.

Well let me tell you what! I don't care if you have to plug you car in at winter in Canada I am moving there for their stellar GF/dairy free candy options.

Erin thank you soooo much everything was wonderful and I want to move to Canada and eat those the obrama chocolate everyday( they were my favorite)!!!! They are these lovely dark chocolate bars filled with yummy flavors. I was sent an espresso bean and raspberry filled one. The little bits of freeze dried raspberries zing up the chocolate and give some texture, and the balance between espresso and chocolate is just about right ,not too overwhelming. If you live in Canada and prefer/need dark chocolate find these tasty bars!

source

I also got a few other dark chocolate delights and they were eaten quickly as well.

Erin, Your gift was thoughtful and yummy, but depressing because they don't make those in Canada. Thank you again for hosting this event and making my Easter dairy and gluten free!

-cheers
nic


And remember to enter my giveaway, spread the word for celiac awareness month and donate if you can!

Beauty Battle: whats in my makeup

Recently someone gave me a bottle of hand sanitizer and I am crazy for hand sanitizer so I accepted it with glee. However, I noticed an itching rash every time I wore. I couldn't figure out what was going on. It had wheat in it! I know its no ones fault but my own for not checking but talk about disappointing. In the trash it went. I just never even thought about checking things light hand sanitizer or my makeup...

After that I started thinking about my skin since I was diagnosed...am I using other products that I may have not checked or have been contaminated. My skin has been nuts in the last few year. SO many break outs, bumps and rashes. What am I missing? Sometimes its hard to know what to look for and not everything that has wheat/gluten comes out with a flashing sign and says I AM GLUTEN. I think it matters less as far as face powder and mascara but what about my lipstick, lipgloss and not too mention miss nail bitter over here puts her hands in her mouth daily. And not to mention your skin absorbs all things and our skin is the LARGEST organ , so I changed my mind it definitely matters for me! Ingesting small amounts could account for not feeling well, could lead up to a horrible night of a reaction or just a headache- none of which I want.

Maybe I can't read things right ..but i think its safe to say I moving over to GF products ,with less chemicals , so I know that my body will be okay.

I Found this list from L'oreal( this inclucdes Garnier, Maybelline, Redkin, Lancôme, and The Body Shop) and list from Estée Lauder, Inc.; Clinique Laboratories, Inc.; Aramis, Inc.; Origins Natural Resources, Inc.; Bobbi Brown essentials; Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries, MAC, Stila, and Prescriptives, Inc. and avon of ingredients that are filled with Gluten you should be able to cross check this with other makeup ingredients but always check your source. IF you want to find this list..its huge look at my side bar and click the picture that says Is that gluten free? I didn't want to bog down this post with the length of the list, but its important to have resources.

The list probably goes on...but the idea is do you know what you are putting in your body? Chemicals, something you're allergic too..who knows. I know from now on ill be more vigilant and I am about to go through my makeup bag, lotions and shampoos to make sure I am not hurting my body. I have at this point found a few products ( bath and body works ones) but cross contamination has been an issue so I think Im going to move towards ALL GF products. Its safer for me, more expensive, but safer. So , if you use GF beauty products let me know.


Sorry for the longest post ever!

**And don't forget to spread the word for celiac and all digestive diseases this month. Check out my post from May first , enter my giveaway, and donate if you can. Every repost, word spoken and dollar counts!**

GF: Cinco de Mayo soup

I wanted to make something easy enough for anyone to make...like maybe a college student with limited resources..oh wait that's me !!

Honestly its easy and took only a few ingredients! I did not have to go out to buy anything and that is saying something. Try it out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups corn (canned or frozen)
2. 3/4 cup soy milk or other non-dairy
3. 1 teaspoon chipotle or chilli powder
4. salt and pepper to taste
5.1 tablespoon olive oil
6. 1 yellow onion, diced
7. 1 red ( or any color really) Bell pepper


Cookin' Time:

1.Chop onion and bell pepper into cubes and saute in pan with olive oil. Cook until onion is translucent.
2. Add the spices..mmmm spicy!! I do this all to taste because some like it hot!
3. Add corn ( puree before and have extra corn on hand to add extra whole kernels to the mix) and add non-dairy milk into the pan.
4. Let it boil on medium and then serve!

** I added garlic because I always do and I added some black beans at the end for some more sustenance..I suggest this!! Also I have heard of people adding a little broth to it too, but I have not tried that.**


cheers
nic

** Don't forget to spread the word about celiac awareness month , sign up for y giveaway and donate if you can**

Cealiac awareness night at AT&T park

Thanks to my friend Wes for letting my know about this

June sixth 2011 the giants are presenting their 2nd annual Celiac Awareness month at AT&T park!

There will be a pregame with gluten free drinks , beer and food. They will welcome GF vendors as well. So come out to cheer on the Giants and come together to raise money for celiac awareness!!!

go here to purchase tickets:
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/MLBEventInfo?agency=MLBTGS16GNTS&pid=6906626

And do not forget that May is Celiac awareness month, so go to this blog post and sign up for my giveaway, share the post, go to the link to learn more or donate if you can.
Thanks!!

GF orange cranberry carob cake!

Say that three times fast !!!
I did a sweet guest post at my friends blog , go check it out. Its easy and delicious!
Go to articohokedesigns see all her cool stuff and my blog post too!

cheers

nic
Artichoke designs

Gluten free: Felafel's

I love felafel's ! So it was birthday week, day two and I said lets do it guys ( or I'll do it guys ..because i am the mother and cook for them)!

They came out delicious!!!! I mean I should have made five times as more. Do y'all do that, make only a little when you are trying a recipe in case it sucks? It works if it sucks , but its sad if they rock. And let me tell you they rocked!!! They are super easy and I suggest dipping in some tahini or Greek style hummus or just pop 'em in your mouth.

Grocery list:
-Garlic ( 4 cloves)
- Onion(1/2 a cup) ( I used a yellow one in this recipe because it's what I had, but I think a purple one would fit in too!)
-Cilantro(2 TBSPN)
-Parsley(2 TBSPN)
-Salt(1 TSPN)
-Cumin(1 TSPN)
-Cayenne(1/2 TSPN)
-GF Baking powder(1 TSPN)
-Flour (4 TBSPN; I used Bob's Red Mill all purpose GF flour)
- Olive oil for frying( or whatever you use)
-Hummus( I used Athenos)

Preparation&steps:
1. chop: 1/2 onion, 2TBSP cilantro&Parsley and 2 cloves of garlic

2. Measure: measure out 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1 tsp of cumin

3. Mix: Put everything, except flour and baking powder, in a food processor. Process until blended, but be sure not to turn it into a paste. It just needs to hold together.

4. Make: Sprinkle in the baking soda and flour. I like to mix with my hand to see if it has the right texture. If it feels sticky still you can add up to 6 TBSPN of flour. The point of the flour is to allow you to form them into little balls. Once you think you have it down make them into tiny balls, patties or however you want. Then fry 'em up and enjoy! ( I am trying to find a healthier way to fry, I used olive oil. Does anyone no an alternative that makes it taste as good and gets the outside crunchy?)

I think I might make them this weekend again!

-Nic