Not just any old salad....

If you're one of those people who tends to take your own lunch to work, I'm here to help you out! One of the common things for me to pack in a container for my lunch is a salad. But this doesn't have to be a boring salad, as long as you keep a few ingredients stocked in your fridge.

A new option for breakfast

As part of my experimenting with different GF grains, I read about amaranth from Shawna Ahern's Gluten Free Girl. (For more about amaranth, click here) When I read about making this grain into a popped cereal, once again I was curious--I had to try it.

How to Roast Your Own Nuts

Roasting (or toasting, whichever is your preference) your own nuts is super easy. I used pecans here, because I had two bags that were in the freezer of my grandparent's house from who-knows-when...Toasting them brings out the true flavor of the nuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the nuts onto a jelly roll pan (or, if all your pans are dirty, you can use round cake pans, like I did!), and roast for about 10 minutes, or until you can smell their aroma. This is the important part: You don't want them to burn, so when you begin to smell them, that usually means they're ready. If you want, you can stir them and roast for a few more minutes, depending on how dark you want them, but be careful that they don't burn.

Flowers and Chocolate...Need I say more?

This is my attempt at a Happy Valentine's Day post...well, sort of. It's also my excuse to post this really yummy recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread, from Gluten-Free Girl.

How to make basic crepes

Since the Gluten Free Ratio Rally's challenge for this month is Crepes (post to come--first Wednesday of March!), I figured I'd better get cracking...Just like the popovers from last month, I've never tasted a crepe, much less made it. However, making crepes is not that hard. If you can make pancakes, then you can make crepes.

Crepes are basically like thin pancakes, and can actually be made thicker, depending on what your preference is, and what you're putting in your crepes. The ratio for crepes is 2:2:1--2 parts egg, 2 parts liquid, and 1 part flour.

Here is my basic recipes (makes about 6 crepes):

For savory crepes:
4 oz. egg (about 2 eggs)
4 oz. almond milk
2 oz. gf flour
pinch of salt
1/4 t. vanilla (optional)

For sweet crepes:
4 oz. egg (about 2 eggs)
4 oz. coconut milk (add a tad bit more if they turn out too thick)
2 oz. almond flour
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. vanilla


You can easily change the liquid to whatever suits your fancy--broth, coconut milk, even water. Whisk together ingredients until smooth.

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Let mixture sit for 30 minutes.
Using a greased pan that has a base the same size as your desired crepe size (I use a small omelet pan), pour in a small amount of batter.
Swirl around the batter just until it covers the bottom of the pan.

In a few minutes, the edges will begin to dry, and you can gently lift the crepe with a flat spatula to see if the other side is lightly browned. When it is, flip the crepe over and cook the other side for about a minute. Continue with the rest of the crepes.

 

 

Crepes are very versatile, and you can fill them up with just about anything, from leftover meat to cream cheese or jam. The crepes can also be seasoned with herbs, spices, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Old-Fashioned Scottish Shortbread - gluten free style

Good Morning! I can't wait to share this post with you!

This yummy shortbread came from this awesome post by Gluten Free Girl for simple shortbread. This recipe comes from an old Scottish shortbread recipe that uses the typical ratio for cookies/shortbread - 1 part sugar: 2 parts fat: 3 parts flour, plus a little extra white rice flour added.

Chai Breakfast Cookies - revised

Yes, I know that I just posted this recipe...but I had to post another.