GF Mac and Cheese

• This is a great mac and cheese recipe. There are so many Gluten-containing things that I crave, and that I am trying to adapt to GF. Here is my take on Mac and Cheese.
  

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees.  (~6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of Gluten-Free Pasta (I use Rice Pasta Shells)
• 3/4 cup of Medium Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
• 3/4 cup of PepperJack Cheese (shredded)
• 2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
• 2 Cups Soy Milk (you can use Cow milk too)
• 2 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine (I use a Dairy-Free spread)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

The How To:

1. Boil Pasta according to directions
2. In a Medium Sauce pan combine: "Milk", "Butter", and corn starch. Whisk together until corn starch is blended smoothly (stir for about 5-7 minutes, it will start to thicken).
3. Add shredded cheeses to the Milk/Butter/Cornstarch mixture - stir together for about 5 minutes, it will get very thick and creamy. 
4. Mix together cheese sauce and cooked noodles in an oven-safe container (Glass Pyrex 9x13 pan, or Corningwear Casserole dish)
5. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
6. I also add green peas to the mixture. I add the peas (frozen) to the mac and cheese with 10 minutes of cooking time left.
7. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

Not a good blogger

I was so gung-ho about this blog, and I have lapsed in my posting. I will try to be more active here. 

Last night I decided to make some fresh Gluten Free Bread. I used the Bob's Red Mill mix, and it turned out quite good. I usually use the Whole Food mix, which is very good, but Bob's was super easy to make, and it is yummy!

After months of eating Gluten-Free I have found myself craving fresh fruits all.of.the.time. All I want to eat are fresh fruits. Overall, I feel so much better, and so much healthier than I did in my gluten-eating days. 

Ciao for now

Gluten Free Bakery...In Baton Rouge...Seriously?!

Baton Rouge has a new bakery in town. They should be opening their doors sometime this month. I can't believe that Baton Rouge actually has an allergen-free bakery (and deli).  Truly Free Bakery is opening in the Southdowns Shopping on Perkins Road.  I can't wait for them to open. In the meantime, you can checkout the website. www.trulyfreebakery.com

G'Day Mates

I tried the Outback Gluten Free Menu tonight. The waiter was super helpful, and their GF Menu was very helpful.  So far, so good. I haven't had any problems!  The Salmon was great! We also had the "Chocolate Thunder from Down Under" Brownie. It is a completely flourless brownie.  It was great!  I will update later after the food has had time to digest. I will see how I am feeling in the morning.

Recipe Time

One of my favorite things growing up was Banana Bread. I loved my mom's banana bread.  It was such a great thing for breakfast.  I have recreated her banana bread recipe to make it Gluten-Free. It is really easy, and you can enjoy it without getting sick.  

Enjoy!

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 large bananas (admittedly, I like mine very banana-y, so I use 3 1/2 large bananas, and eat the other half while baking)
• 1 cup of sugar (you can use Splenda too, if you want to cut cals)
• 2 cups of your favorite GF All-Purpose Flour (I use the Whole Foods Brand) - I have also used just 2 cups of Rice Flour
• 2 eggs ( I usually use 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters - it makes the consistency a little smoother, but if all you have are regular eggs, no worries).
• 2 tsp of GF Baking Powder (Clabber Girl is Gluten-Free, and is a main choice at all Grocery Stores)
• 1 Tbsp GF Vanilla (Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla is GF - it is made with a Corn Starch base instead of a alcohol base).

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in the bananas one at a time.  In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the flour and baking power.  Transfer dry ingredients into the large bowl, and mix until everything is moist. Spray/grease a 5x9" loaf pan. Cook at 325 for about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes. Insert knife, and if it comes out clean, the bread is done!

Voila!

Gluten? What's Gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat. Although it is not that simple. Gluten is also in barley, rye, and because of cross-contamination during harvesting and production oats are also on the no-no list. 

Unfortunately, gluten is found in almost everything.  Bread, baked goods, pasta, soy sauce, BBQ sauces, random ingredients such as -dextrines, starches, etc. 

Being Gluten Free means completely ridding my diet of any and all gluten-containing products. So what do I eat? I eat fish, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, rices, potatoes, GF Flours and Starches (arrowroot flour, potato starch, tapioca root four, and lots of others) and every now and then I throw in some gluten-free pasta. 

I have accidentally ingested gluten two times since going Gluten-Free (GF).  The results, well, we don't really want to go there, but painful abdominal cramps, and sickness for 1+ days. It is not fun, and it is quite painful.  

My grocery store trips are now forever long because I have to read the labels on almost anything that I buy.  I have to look for those hidden bits of gluten disguised under other names, I have to see if the food was processed in the same factory as a gluten-containing product. It is the highlight of my day if I see the words, "Gluten-Free" on a package! Sometimes, I am supposed to even call the manufacturer to find out about their separation of products. 

There is no set standard for GF.  So the only truly GF things, are those that occur GF naturally, even the items that say GF on the label contain xx/parts per million of gluten. Apparently, super small amounts of gluten do not really hurt those with gluten-intolerance, which is also known as Celiac Disease.  

Gluten is a tricky thing to avoid, but with practice, it is becoming second nature.