Gluten-Free Classic Snacks by Nicole Hunn and Gluten Free on a Shoestring Website

           We are always looking for new gluten free cookbooks.  This time we found one that takes care of all those guilty pleasure treats you may be missing.  It’s Gluten-Free Classic Snacks by Nicole Hunn.  Whether it’s the old-fashioned filled cupcake with a curlicue on top, or your favorite Girl Scout cookie, you will probably find it in this book.  Borrow Gluten-Free Classic Snacks from the library to try it out.  The book is also available for purchase from Boswell Book Company, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. 

              While reviewing this book, I found a mention of Nicole Hunn’s website, Gluten Free on a Shoestring (glutenfreeonashoestring.com). It’s a good site for gluten free information and recipes. Since I am always looking for more recipes, I was glad to see this site had a lot to choose from. 

            I hope you enjoy both the book and the website.

flourless. by Nicole Spiridakis

          I am someone who likes to be able to pronounce the ingredients I am eating.  All too often when I look at food packages I find words that are difficult for me to say.  Unless I have had the item before, this usually means I put whatever I’m looking at back on the shelf.  Recently gluten-free cookbooks, especially the baking ones, have been treated the same way.  I want what I am making to be naturally gluten-free.  Putting in an additional stabilizing ingredient in order to make my gluten-free baked good successful is not what I am looking to do.  That is why I love the book flourless.: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-Free Desserts. 

Every recipe in flourless. is made from natural, easily recognized ingredients.  I don’t believe there was a single one where I had to wonder what an ingredient was or how to pronounce it.  The recipes also range from the traditional (Peanut Butter Cookies) to the creative (Almond Cake with Balsamic-Roasted Strawberries).  My mom made the Oatie Squares.  They were really good, and they made me even more interested in trying the other recipes.

I suggest borrowing flourless. from the library. It will give you a chance to experience the book before actually purchasing. Then if you decide you want to own it, the book is available for purchase from Boswell Book Company, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Once you have it home, enjoy baking naturally gluten-free.

Gluten Free & More Magazine

            It seems that just about everyone knows someone who is gluten intolerant.  For people who don’t have this allergy, it can be hard for them to find food a gluten free person can eat.  This is where a gluten free orientated magazine may be of help. 

The magazine I found that had a good selection of recipes was Gluten Free & More.  I got an issue with Mac & Cheese as a highlighted article, which goes to show that no matter what, Macaroni and Cheese is on just about everybody’s dietary list. 

If you want to try out a gluten free magazine before purchasing it, see if it's available at your local library.  As you look through it, you may find that the recipes work for those who aren’t gluten intolerant too.

I purchased Gluten Free & More at Woodman’s.

The Chocolate Trader Chocolate Chunks

             There is something different about the Chocolate Chunks made by The Chocolate Trader.  First, they have few ingredients, are all natural, and are gluten-free.  Second, each flavor is made with African chocolate liquor and infused with olive oil.  Lastly, and what I find to be the most different, is these chocolate chunks get better the longer you have them.  That is something that usually does not happen.  Normally when a product has been open for awhile, the flavor starts to turn or lessen.  With these chocolate chunks I found the flavor kept improving over time (about a month), making the last chunk taste even better than the first.

                The Chocolate Trader makes three flavors of chocolate chunks: Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt, and Dark Chocolate and Mint.  I had the Dark Chocolate and Mint.  All three flavors can be found at Outpost Natural Foods. 

                www.thechocolatetrader.com

General Mills Convenience & Foodservice

                Cereal is not just for breakfast anymore, and there is a website to prove it.  The General Mills Convenience & Foodservice website will show you how versatile gluten-free cereals can be.  There are sweet and savory recipes on the site and they range from snacks to entrees.  The one we’re most interested in trying is the Gluten-Free Mole Crunch.    

              When you open the site, I suggest putting “gluten-free recipes” in the search box instead of “gluten-free” or clicking on the gluten-free tab.  This way you will receive only recipes in your search and not have the other types of selections to sort through.

                I hope you enjoy these recipes.

                     www.generalmillscf.com

The Cooking Light Gluten-Free Cookbook: Simple Food Solutions for Everyday Meals

             I think everyone has had a moment when all they want is a home cooked meal.  They’re tired of restaurants, and even something premade from the store isn’t appealing.  That’s because there is nothing like a home cooked meal.  The time and effort it takes to put a meal together makes everything taste better.  That personal touch somehow makes everything more flavorful than if it were bought somewhere.  If you have a food allergy, this extra effort is especially appreciated.  It’s not always easy to cook around an allergy.  When someone makes something you can eat, no matter how it tastes, it’s always wonderful.  It shows how much that person cares, and proves that the only thing better than a home cooked meal is someone making one for you.

                The Cooking Light Gluten-Free Cookbook: Simple Food Solutions for Everyday Meals is a great book to find recipes that can be cooked at home and are gluten-free.  It contains recipes for every meal of the day and includes an informational section about how to live a gluten-free life.  The recipes stretch across different cultures and a lot of them are naturally gluten-free.  This is great because shopping is so much easier when you don’t have to stand in the aisles reading packages.  Other recipes include notes about certain ingredients, suggesting you investigate them before purchasing.  An example of this is sausage.  Not all sausage is gluten-free.  The book recommends you look into products, such as sausage, to make sure the one you’re thinking of buying is gluten-free before purchasing.  Another thing the book mentions is whether or not a recipe is dairy-free.  As a person who comes from a family where both gluten and dairy are a concern, this is a very good thing.

                If you’re not sure about buying yet another cookbook, check this one out from the library.  It’s a great way to experience cookbooks without having to purchase them right away.  Then once you’re ready to buy The Cooking Light Gluten-Free Cookbook, you can order it from Boswell Book Company, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Outpost’s Flourless Chocolate Cake

            In a matter of hours it will be Valentine’s Day.  This makes you think of cards, flowers, and chocolate.  The cards and flowers can be bought or, in the case of cards, made to suit your personal taste.  But let’s talk about chocolate.  There are many kinds: white, milk, semi-sweet, and dark, along with combinations of the chocolates.  Then, of course, chocolate comes in many shapes and sizes from the simple bar to the pointed kiss shape made famous by Hershey.

                The chocolate I want to talk about is a decadent chocolate confection that can be purchased at Outpost Natural Foods.  It is the Flourless Chocolate Cake.  Not only is this cake rich and has a deep chocolate taste, it is gluten-free.  Yes, gluten-free.  You can buy a slice at Outpost stores (as it is not labeled as gluten-free, be sure to ask so you get the right one), or you can make it yourself.

                Make it myself?  Yes.  In the winter issue of Graze, Outpost’s magazine, this cake is the secret recipe with the emphasis that it is gluten-free.  So treat yourself or share this delicious cake for Valentine’s Day.