A Gluten-Free Year in Review

CC image from flickr compliments of somecanuckchickJust last week my brother-in-law recounted the cutest story about his niece asking Santa for a gluten-free dog for Christmas. You may choose to laugh at the innocent mistake of this young girl, but it is a response much larger feeling many with gluten intollerance, allergies, and celiacs disease can on some level understand.

When people ask me about being gluten-free I can sum it up in two words.

Life changing. 

As an adult, changing your behavoirs is incredibly difficult. No matter what age, remembering to investigate almost everything you put in and on your body can be exhausting. (Everything from salad dressing to shampoo).

As a child, showing restraint, being singled out, and understanding the importance of the impact of the decisions you make about what you're eating can seem all-consuming.

For me, I've been obsessed with photographing, documenting, and sharing information about gluten-free living. though I'm sure it affects each of us differently.

(I suppose this applies to adults, too.) 

No matter what your age, our choices impact our lives greatly. Its no wonder that many people, identify and differentiate ourselves as individuals from what we choose to eat. Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Omnivore, Locavore, and all others that have chosen or prescribed dietary restrictions can find ourselves in the spotlight of conversations. Often educating others about what it is we're choosing to eat and why. There are so many very personal and political reasons for wanting to choose to eat this and not that. While I'm could drone on and on about food politics, that it for a different series of post.

For me, going first wheat-free and later gluten-free has changed many aspects of my life. My energy levels are at an all-time high, my sleep schedule is more normal, and I can feel the difference in my ability to focus and think clearly. I know that last one sounds like a jump, but I used to feel foggy brained in the morning, most people could equate this to the 2:30pm coffee zombie feeling. So looking back over the last year, I can empathize with a request for a gluten-free dog from Santa.

This year I count myself luckier than the last, healthier, happier, and more focused on envisioning things I'd like to accomplish in 2012. Keep a look out for more gluten-free recipes from "eat", art and movie reviews for the "see" section of the site, and some tech goodies for "surf". I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2012, Cheers!

Cookie Monster strikes with Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Out of all things I miss most about my gluten-free lifestyle, baked goods come in third behind fresh baked focattia bread and pizza. While I no longer crave them often there are a mirad of cookies that I have fond memories of munching.

Here is my list of all time favorite cookies

1. peanut butter cookies
2. oatmeal rasin cookies
3. chocolate chip and chocolate, chocolate chip cookies
4. snicker doodles
5. sugar cookies
6. coconut macaroons
7. french macaroons (allergic to tree nuts, sad times)
8. italian wedding cookies
9. ginger bread cookies
10. oreos -- the peppermint oreo cookies are my fav!

If you'd like to share your favorite cookies in the comments below I'd love to hear what your favorite cookies are.

Given that peanut butter and oatmeal rasin cookies top my list of most missed cookies I decided to make the gluten free Oatmeal Cookie recipe from the back of the Trader Joes's gluten free rolled oats bag. Since it called for peanut butter it also satiated my peanut butter cookie craving. Here's the origial recipe and the adapted version, since I'm incapable of following a receipe to the letter I cut it in 1/2 because I didn't want so many cookies hanging out at the house and I added a couple handfuls of regular and golden rasins to add to the chewy texture. This recipe is the full version, you'll have cookies out the ears if you make a double batch. *All adaptations are denoted with the astrist below.

 Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup gluten free Trader Joes rolled oats

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

6 oz chocolate chips* (omitted used rasins instead)

1/2 sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts (I used chopped cashews, because I had them handy)*

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and butter until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and baking soda and mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips* and nuts. Place a tablespoon of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 10-12 mins.

These turned out great, I'd definately make them again! Next time I'll make a full batch and freeze half.On another note, they're tough cookies the next day, but soften up nicely when they're put in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or the toaster oven. Happy munching!

3 Tips for Stove Popping Popcorn

image by a.g.photography.I never realized that stove popping popcorn could be a difficult endeavor until I mentioned this to some of my work colleagues, who mentioned the issue of burning it. I suppose there is a secret technique to set you up for sucess, follow the recommentions below and show Orville Redenbacher you know what's up.

Choose your Fat

For those of you that like to nerd out about food, here's a chart of the smoke point of various fats: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/50/Smoke-Points-of-Various-Fats. Butter will work, but you'll need better temperature control because it can easily burn/oxidize if you're not watching your heat. I personally like to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it has the highest smoke point of the fats I typically have in the house and I prefer the taste.

Heat your oil first

This is what's most often missed when popping popcorn on the stove. If you don't heat the oil first you're more likely to burn it. I'll typically drop the oil with my seasonings (peppers, spices, or sugar) depending on my mood. This will usually take about a minute or so with the stove on. Then drop your kernels, keeping in mind a little bit goes a long way.

Shake above heat source

Once you start popping pick up your pot and make sure to create a little bit of distance between the heat source and the popcorn. I'll usually leave about half to a quarter or an inch from the burner, I've done this on both a gas and electric burner and it works great.

Think about campfire Jiffy Pop and shake your pot like a Polariod picture just above the burner. Once you're popping, just like the microwave kind take queues from the popping frequency and pull it from the heat source as the kernels slow down in popping frequency.

In my most recent batch,  popped yellow popping corn with Tumeric, Paprika, and a dash of salt using extra virgin olive oil. It whad a wonderful a smokey citrus undertone, and ended up being a perfect snack to bring to work the next day because the fat was real it didn't get strangely mushy like the microwave type.

Sweet Experiments in Preserving

While most of the time my ambition gets the best of me, particularly in the kitchen, I recently managed to coordinate two individual experiments in freeze-canning. I'm not one for arduous processes but I particularly love the near-zen act of standing in my kitchen slicing, so the simplicity of freezer canning appealed to me.

I followed a simple recipe for the nectaries I purchased by the basket at Russo's the day prior. Picking up only a flat of 8oz jars, a collapsible funnel(praise to be sung below), and a can of ball fruit pectin specifically for canning. The whole process only took me about an hour, and I had four 8oz jars of nectaries. All I needed to do was cut up the fruit, which in my humble opinion was the most delightful. I find prepping fruits and veggies a centering activity and am convinced that in another life I would have been a fantastic sous chef. If you visited the recipe link you'd note that the process was as simple as cutting the fruit, adding sugar and pectin, stirring, and spooing it into the cans while leaving about 1/2 to 1/4 of an inch for expansion. Voila!

Recommendations

So I've had a bit of time to play around with my preserves, and I have to say adding them to greek yogurt has been particularly delicious. I went light on the sugar when canning so I tend to sprinkle on bit more sugar to cut through the tartness of the greek yogurt. It was a sweet and crunchy trifecta when I paired it with my homemade granola. The fruit gives the yogurt a fuller mouth feel, similar to the fruit on the bottom cups but firmer and the granola brings an almost savory balance with the cashews and pepitas. If you missed the recipe for the granola it's here: Gluten & Tree-Nut Free Granola.

If you attempt canning of any kind buy this colapsible funnel, it's worth the money on the first use and stores flat. It made getting my nectaries from bowl to can so much cleaner.

Get Naked, Fresh Gluten-free Pizza

A couple weeks ago, prior to my vacation in Chicago I spent an hour at the Coolidge Corner Naked Pizza shop touring, talking and tasting. I had tried the gluten free pizza once before but I can say that it was really nice to get an opportunity to hear more about the concept and check out the facilities. First off, the owner Peter, his business partner, staff, and Wendy who works on the company's PR were all very hospitible. It's pretty cool that the concept was very health focused, something that's atypical for what you might consider 'fast' food. Given the good, fast, cheap, Venn diagram it would certainly be the exeception to this visual rather than the rule.

I was surprised not only about how technology forward they were, but also how efficent and tidy everything was. My first experience was a good one, I ordered from my iPhone because Luke and I just moved in to our new place and we didn't have food in the house or internet service *le sigh*. Luckily, the process was quick and easy, I had my two pizzas in less than 30 minutes and they were delicious.

As far as gluten-free goes, I was impresed by the lightness of the dough. Since the crust is made from rice flour rather than garbonzo bean it doesn't make you feel like a lard-butt sloth after you eat it. The texture sort of reminds me of a delecate thin crust which is softer style. I mean this as a compliment as the flavor that isn't so far removed from pizza that you automatically know that it's gluten-free. That said I wonder if the cook times were teaked just slightly for the gluten-free crust it would seem crispier.

Thus far, I've experienced the Superbiotic (twice) one of my favs and a must-try if you're a fan of cilantro (if you're not a fan it can be made sans the soapy flavored cilantro for the herb haters). I also really enjoyed the greenhouse with lots of veggies. If you check it out, let me know what you think!

For non-gluten-free peeps my boyfriend said that he liked the thin crust but prefered the regular, his exact quote was, "It's hard to love any thin-crust pizza after you've had Stella's" (For watertown peeps, http://stellaspizza.com is a must try too.). Since we're in a new neighborhood Naked is a fine local choice, I have to say that I've had my share of gluten-free pizza in Boston and I really like Naked's style.

That said, I'm off to grab a slice right now! NOMS!!!