Dairy free sorbet

I like this recipe because there's no concerns about trying to make ice cream out of a dairy alternative like rice milk or Darifree. And, it has a lighter taste. Plus, it's very easy to make. Here's how.

- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 3 large ice cubes
- 2 cups of fruit

Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add the ice cubes and stir until melted. Pull from heat.

Chop up fruit. Put in food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the gelatin mixture and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the gelatin mix and puree again until mixed.

Pour this into a 13x9 pan. Cover with foil or wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours.

Then, spoon the sorbet mix back into the blender and blend at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Pour into a loaf pan, cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Use any fruit. I tried peaches.

Allergy link

There's tons of info on the Web about allergies, autism, etc., and I come across good ones every so often. I found this today, for the Food Allergy Initiative and will be adding it to my link section.

What's in your ketchup?

Did you ever think about what's in the ketchup you put on your favorite burger, hot dog or potatoes each day? I did a couple of months ago. And it made me change what I bought for my family.

Heinz ketchup -- America's No. 1 ketchup -- is filled with high fructose corn syrup. If you don't yet know the dangers of this sweetener, read my blog entry from yesterday, or Google it for yourself.

This was very depressing, especially since I like Heinz. But, with the care we're taking to feed our kids properly, I decided to look elsewhere.

I found two quality substitutes that are gluten-free, soy-free and HFCS-free.

Annie's ketchup is pretty darn good. For me, it's a little spicier, in a sweet way, than I prefer. But, my kids loved it. And, it's organic.

Muir Glen also makes an organic ketchup, which I prefer. I now buy this by the case. It's taste more closely resembles Heinz -- and actually is what Heinz probably tasted like 20-30 years ago when it wasn't made with the HFCS.

Do a taste test for yourself, and make your burger a little healthier.

High fructose corn syrup -- what's the big deal?

I'm sure you've heard talk about the evils of high fructose corn syrup. But do you understand the problem? I didn't. If you don't, this article is worth reading. It explains the issue well.


washingtonpost.com

Sweet but Not So Innocent?
High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Act More Like Fat Than Sugar in the Body

By Sally Squires
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 11, 2003; Page HE01

From fruit-flavored drinks to energy bars, a huge array of sweetened foods and beverages crowds grocery shelves, vending machines, restaurant menus, school lunches and kitchens. According to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), consumption of various sweeteners, often in calorie-dense foods and drinks, has risen in the United States from an estimated 113 pounds per person in 1966 to 147 pounds in 2001.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limiting intake of added sugars found in food and drink to no more than 10 percent of daily calories, a step the WHO said could help stop the worldwide rise in obesity that is fueling the growth of such chronic diseases as type 2 diabetes. The WHO recommendation is far stricter than any that U.S. groups have produced.

But increasingly, it's not just the growing consumption of foods with added sugars that concerns some nutrition experts. What has also changed during the past four decades, the USDA figures show, is the type of sweeteners consumed -- a trend that some studies suggest may help to undermine appetite control and possibly play a role in weight gain.

In 1966, refined sugar, also known as sucrose, held the No. 1 slot, accounting for 86 percent of sweeteners used, according to the USDA. Today, sweeteners made from corn are the leader, racking up $4.5 billion in annual sales and accounting for 55 percent of the sweetener market. That switch largely reflects the steady growth of high-fructose corn syrup, which climbed from zero consumption in 1966 to 62.6 pounds per person in 2001.

While soft drinks and fruit beverages such as lemonade are the leading products containing high-fructose corn syrup, plenty of other items -- including cookies, gum, jams, jellies and baked goods -- also contain this syrup. [For more information about which foods contain these and other added sweeteners, see the Lean Plate Club column on Page F2.]

Made from corn starch, high-fructose corn syrup is a thick liquid that contains two basic sugar building blocks, fructose and glucose, in roughly equal amounts. Sucrose, most familiar to consumers as table sugar, is a larger sugar molecule that breaks down into glucose and fructose in the intestine during metabolism.

An advantage of high-fructose corn syrup is that it "tastes sweeter than refined sugar," making it a popular ingredient for food manufacturers because it enables them to use less, says George A. Bray, former director of Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. As a liquid, the syrup is easier to blend into beverages than refined sugar, according to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA). Industry taste tests suggested that consumers liked food and drink with high-fructose corn syrup as much as refined beet or cane sugar.

In the 1980s, manufacturing methods improved, prompting a boost in production of high-fructose corn syrup and a drop in price to just pennies below that of refined sugar. "While that may not sound like much to the average consumer, when you consider how many pounds [the soft drink industry buys], it was millions of dollars if not hundreds of millions of dollars in savings," says Drew Davis, NSDA's vice president for federal affairs.

The switch made economic sense and, as Davis notes, "back then, there was no suggestion that high-fructose corn syrup was metabolized differently" than other sugars. More recent research suggests, however, that there may be some unexpected nutritional consequences of using the syrup. "Fructose is absorbed differently" than other sugars, says Bray. "It doesn't register in the body metabolically the same way that glucose does."

For example, consumption of glucose kicks off a cascade of biochemical reactions. It increases production of insulin by the pancreas, which enables sugar in the blood to be transported into cells, where it can be used for energy. It increases production of leptin, a hormone that helps regulate appetite and fat storage, and it suppresses production of another hormone made by the stomach, ghrelin, that helps regulate food intake. It has been theorized that when ghrelin levels drop, as they do after eating carbohydrates composed of glucose, hunger declines.

Fructose is a different story. It "appears to behave more like fat with respect to the hormones involved in body weight regulation," explains Peter Havel, associate professor of nutrition at the University of California, Davis. "Fructose doesn't stimulate insulin secretion. It doesn't increase leptin production or suppress production of ghrelin. That suggests that consuming a lot of fructose, like consuming too much fat, could contribute to weight gain." Whether it actually does do this is not known "because the studies have not been conducted," said Havel.

Another concern is the action of fructose in the liver, where it is converted into the chemical backbone of trigylcerides more efficiently than glucose. Like low-density lipoprotein -- the most damaging form of cholesterol -- elevated levels of trigylcerides are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. A University of Minnesota study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 found that in men, but not in women, fructose "produced significantly higher [blood] levels" than did glucose. The researchers, led by J.P Bantle, concluded that "diets high in added fructose may be undesirable, particularly for men."

Other recent research suggests that fructose may alter the magnesium balance in the body. That could, in turn, accelerate bone loss, according to a USDA study published in 2000 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

In November, however, Havel and his colleagues published a review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that examined evidence from multiple studies. They concluded that large quantities of fructose from a variety of sources, including table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, induce insulin resistance, impair glucose tolerance, produce high levels of insulin, boost a dangerous type of fat in the blood and cause high blood pressure in animals. "The data in humans are less clear," the team noted.

Others are skeptical that high-fructose corn syrup acts differently in the body than table sugar. "I don't see it as a particular evil," says Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and a vocal critic of soft drinks, which he dubs "liquid candy." "It wouldn't make much difference if soft drinks were sweetened with sucrose [table sugar] or high-fructose corn syrup."

Until scientists sort out the details, many nutrition experts say it makes sense to not surpass the 10 percent recommendation of the WHO. On a 2,000-calorie intake, that works out to about 200 calories -- roughly the amount found in a 16.9-ounce bottle of soda or about eight Chunky Chips Ahoy cookies or about an three ounces of plain M&M's. (Last year, the National Academy of Sciences suggested that added sugars should not exceed 25 percent of daily calories -- about 500 calories on a 2,000-calorie intake.)

"Reducing consumption of added sugars seems reasonable to me," Havel says, "just as you should not consume too many calories from fat and you should exercise regularly."

But industry groups urged consumers not to respond by avoiding any one food ingredient. Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, notes that many of the studies used pure fructose rather than the combination of fructose and glucose found in corn syrup.

"There are many sources for the obesity epidemic," Erickson says. "There's no one single source of the obesity epidemic or the onslaught of diabetes in America. But there are many contributing factors and no scientific link to suggest that high-fructose corn syrup is a contributing factor."

Erickson says that research published in a 1993 supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that there is no evidence linking the syrup to the obesity epidemic.

What does play a role, she noted, "is the lack of physical exercise. You can not discontinue the use of any one food or beverage and expect tomorrow -- or even in 10 years from now -- to be thin without increased physical activity."

That's a message being delivered not just by the food and beverage industries, but also by the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Academy of Sciences and the WHO, which also urged more physical activity -- an hour a day of moderate-intensity activity, such as walking -- in its report last week.•

© 2003 The Washington Post Company

Popcorn lung

Sep 7, 2007 2:50 am US/Eastern
'Popcorn Lung' Patient Ate Two Bags A Day

(CBS News) Wayne Watson loved microwave popcorn so much he would eat at least two bags each night, breathing in the steam from the just-opened package, until doctors told him it may have made him sick.

Watson, whose case of "popcorn lung" is the sole reported case of the disease in a non-factory worker, said he is convinced his heavy consumption of popcorn caused his health problems.

"You know, it's one of those things that you kind of shake your head and say, how can anybody eat that much popcorn? But it was about two bags a day every day for about ten years," Watson told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen

Popcorn flavoring contains the chemical diacetyl, which has been linked to lung damage in factory workers testing hundreds of bags of microwave popcorn per day and inhaling its fumes. The chemical is a naturally occurring compound that gives butter its flavor and is also found in cheese and even wine, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

It's been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a flavor ingredient, but hundreds of workers have sued flavoring makers in recent years for lung damage.

There are no warnings from federal regulators, nor is there medical advice on how consumers should treat news of the rare, life-threatening disease, bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as popcorn lung.

Watson, 53, told CBS he first noticed something was wrong about three or four years ago during church choir practice.

"My lung capacity just seemed to start diminishing and I couldn't sustain my notes like I used to be able to," he said.

That's when he sought out Dr. Cecile Rose, a lung specialist at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.

Rose said she initially didn’t know what was causing Watson's breathing problems.

"He had a lung condition that we know is related to something he was inhaling," Rose said. "And I took a very complete history, including a work history and an environmental history and found nothing. And it wasn't really until the end of his initial medical evaluation where I turned to him and asked him … was he exposed to or was he around a lot of popcorn? And his jaw dropped and he asked me how I would possibly know that about him."

Rose said that no definite link can yet be made between Watson's popcorn consumption and his lung disease.

But, she said, "I think it's very important that the industry is taking this very seriously. They've known about the fact that workers who are using diacetyl can be at risk for lung disease. And if we're right in this case that consumers who are heavy users may be at risk as well, I think that the industry needs to be responsive to that possibility."

On Wednesday, the nation's largest microwave popcorn maker, ConAgra, said it would stop using diacetyl within a year out of concern for its workers - not because of risks to consumers. ConAgra makes Act II and Orville Redenbacher brands.

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association said that Rose's finding does not suggest a risk from eating microwave popcorn.

Watson, 53, said his breathing has improved since his doctor told him to quit eating his extra-buttery microwave popcorn and lose weight. He said he's dieting and lost some 35 pounds, regained lung capacity, and his prognosis is good.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )
From Our Partners

What does this tell you? Enjoy Life Foods was named to the 2007 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the country. Enjoy Life, as many of you know, makes gluten-free and allergy-friendly foods.

Its three-year sales growth was 783%.

You can read the full release by clicking here.

Oh so coconutee ice cream

Yep, another GFCF ice cream. Oh, and, it's free of soy, rice, nuts, corn, dyes and just about everything else. I'll confess now, this is not my recipe, just as most of these are not truly mine. Most are variations of something I saw somewhere else. And, when I first saw this recipe, I truly had doubts that it would work. But, it did. It's great. I made two variations -- vanilla and carob (alternative for chocolate, but cocoa surely could be used too). Here's how.

Ingredients:

2 x 14 oz cans coconut milk (I bought organic)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp carob powder (or cocoa)

For vanilla, mix all but the carob in a bowl. Whisk well. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow directions. I use a Rival machine and it took less than an hour.

For carob, mix all ingredients together in a bowl, whisk and use the ice cream maker.

The plain mix has a distinctive coconut flavor, which some will like and others will not. My one daughter did not. But she loves the carob. So, anything to mask the coconut will work -- chocolate or carob chips, fruit, cocoa, nuts, pieces of cookies, etc.

Pancakes II

This is a modification of my original pancake recipe, which you'll find on this site.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour mix (I use 1/3 cup tapioc starch, 1/3 cup sorghum flour, 1/3 cup millet flour)
2 tbsp cane sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp syrup -- pure maple is good, agave is good, honey is good, Steen's is good.
1/3-2/3 cup water

Mix dry, then add liquids. Whisk until smooth and "pancakey." Drop a tsp of oil in a pan and heat. Then make pancakes. I top these either with syrup or sprinkle Domino powdered sugar on top.

High Fructose Corn Syrup -- dangerous stuff

Soda Warning? High-fructose Corn Syrup Linked To Diabetes, New Study Suggests

Science Daily — Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.

New evidence suggests that sodas sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup may increase the risk of diabetes, particularly in children. (Credit: American Chemical Society)

HFCS is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and more easy to blend into beverages than table sugar. Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim which the food industry disputes. Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.

In the current study, Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., conducted chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS. He found 'astonishingly high' levels of reactive carbonyls in those beverages. These undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with "unbound" fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, says Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are "bound" and chemically stable, the researcher notes.

Reactive carbonyls also are elevated in the blood of individuals with diabetes and linked to the complications of that disease. Based on the study data, Ho estimates that a single can of soda contains about five times the concentration of reactive carbonyls than the concentration found in the blood of an adult person with diabetes.

Ho and his associates also found that adding tea components to drinks containing HFCS may help lower the levels of reactive carbonyls. The scientists found that adding epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound in tea, significantly reduced the levels of reactive carbonyl species in a dose-dependent manner when added to the carbonated soft drinks studied. In some cases, the levels of reactive carbonyls were reduced by half, the researchers say.

"People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country," says Ho. "It's in way too many food and drink products and there's growing evidence that it's bad for you." The tea-derived supplement provides a promising way to counter its potentially toxic effects, especially in children who consume a lot of carbonated beverages, he says.

But eliminating or reducing consumption of HFCS is preferable, the researchers note. They are currently exploring the chemical mechanisms by which tea appears to neutralize the reactivity of the syrup.Ho's group is also probing the mechanisms by which carbonation increases the amount of reactive carbonyls formed in sodas containing HFCS. They note that non-carbonated fruit juices containing HFCS have one-third the amount of reactive carbonyl species found in carbonated sodas with HFCS, while non-carbonated tea beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup, which already contain EGCG, have only about one-sixth the levels of carbonyls found in regular soda.

In the future, food and drink manufacturers could reduce concerns about HFCS by adding more EGCG, using less HFCS, or replacing the syrup with alternatives such as regular table sugar, Ho and his associates say. Funding for this study was provided by the Center for Advanced Food Technology of Rutgers University. Other researchers involved in the study include Chih-Yu Lo, Ph.D.; Shiming Li, Ph.D.; Di Tan, Ph.D.; and Yu Wang, a doctoral student.

This research was reported August 23 at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, during the symposium, "Food Bioactives and Nutraceuticals: Production, Chemistry, Analysis and Health Effects: Health Effects."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Chemical Society.

Copyright © 1995-2007 ScienceDaily LLC — All rights reserved — Contact: editor@removeme.sciencedaily.com

Ginger spice cookies

The neat thing about this recipe is you can make two different cookies using the same recipe. Confused? Don't be. It's simple. This really is a slight variation of a ginger snap cookie recipe. I've made it two ways -- one with more liquid and one with less. The difference is one version comes out like a crisp spice cookie and the other a soft, moist spice cookie. To my kids, it's two different cookies and allows for some variation.

Ingredients
-------------
1/2 cup gf flour -- either sorghum, chickpea, millet, etc.
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch or 1/2 corn starch *see below
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp egg replacer
1.5 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp molasses (or cane syrup or agave syrup or honey)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Blend. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. This recipe tends to make a crispier, crunchier cookie.

To make softer cookie, add 1/4 cup molasses rather than just 1 tbsp. Bake same.

*Note: I interchange the potato starch and the corn flour sometimes. The starch makes a lighter, chewier cookie. The flour makes a denser cookie with a different flavor.

Non-dairy ice cream

So, do you have a child who can't eat ice cream of any kind? Try this.

This is a non-dairy, non-DariFree, non-rice milk, non-almond milk, non-soy milk ice cream.

It's chocolate but either cocoa or carob may be used. And, it's easy.

3/4 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot or corn starch)
1/4 cup cocoa or carob powder (i use soy-free carob)
1.5 cups warm water
2 tbsp organic Spectrum shortening
1 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup powdered sugar (i make my own from organic cane sugar)
1 tbsp syrup of any kind (i use steen's for this)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (opt.)
1/4 tsp ground cloves (opt.)

In a blender, pour the hot water. Add the shortening. Add the starch and carob/cocoa powder. Add xanthan gum, sugar, syrup and spices. Blend on low 30 seconds. Blend on high 30 seconds. Pour into freezer safe container and freeze overnight.

This really was an experiment that sorta worked. My kids ate it. I'm still tinkering with the recipe. I may try a version using coconut milk next. Stay tuned.

A meaty decision

So, no recipe today. Instead, I want to talk about meats, poultry and fish. And, where to buy them if you're following a strict diet made tricky by allergies and intolerances -- not just to ingredients, but preservatives and additives. I know, meat's not just meat, sometimes.

Everybody will have their own choices, based on where they live and how much they have to spend. I have to limit my cost and weigh that against providing my kids with choices. I also don't want to feed them too much beef, for example, because of its high fat and cholesterol content. Nor do I want to give them too much fish, because of health risks.

I buy meat both from a local farmer and from some national companies. And here's why. I hope it gets you thinking, too.

My local farmer lives about 30 miles away but sells each weekend at a local farm market, open all year. He sells beef, pork, poultry -- and that sometimes includes hot dogs, fresh turkey (for holidays) and both breakfast and dinner sausage. I also can speak with him face to face and ask him specific questions about how the meats are handled and made. I've been able to tell him about my daughters and the foods they cannot eat for medical reasons so he understands my concern. And, he's been able to assure me about most of his products. Some, as he pointed out, have some added spices, for example, that I might want to avoid. And, his prices tend to be even lower than the local supermarket -- not to mention that they are free of preservatives and hormones. What a deal.

Sometimes, my local farmer doesn't have hot dogs, and my kids love them. And, he doesn't sell lunch meat, and my kids are getting near to an age where lunch meat is handy. He also doesn't sell fish -- not running a fish farm. So, I look elsewhere. Some good companies I've come across that you might check out are Applegate Farms, Boars Head, Shelton's and Wellshire Farms.

These companies tend to offer foods I can use and they show exactly what's in their foods. They also make it easy to contact them with more questions. Boars Head is good for lunch meats. The others offer hot dogs, sausage, cuts of poultry, lunch meat, jerky and link snacks, etc. Many of these are uncured, with no preservatives and sometimes organic. Excellent stuff. You can order online or find these at a local food co-op or organic store. I buy the uncured, but not organic, hot dogs from Applegate Farms thru a food co-op in bulk -- cutting down the price. I buy Boars Head lunch meat from my local supermarket (I have them slice it first thing when they open so it's not contaminated by other meats). I buy Shelton's turkey dogs and am considering their breakfast sausage. Wellshire Farms makes a great dinner sausage that my kids love -- made from turkey, but you'd never know it.

Hope this helps.

Corn bread

A healthy and quick corn bread is easy to make. Great for snacks.

BLOG UPDATE: Please note that this recipe was updated Nov. 1, 2007. I found this version to me much better.

Ingredients
------------
1/3 cup corn meal
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup sorghum flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp syrup -- cane, maple, honey, etc.
2/3 cup water

Heat oven to 350. Grease 8x8 pan with organic vegetable shortening. Mix dry ingredients. Add liquids. If too lumpy, add more water. Spread evenly in pan. Bake for 12 minutes. That's it.

Garlicky chicken

I've read how garlic is a natural detoxifier and I try to work it into as many recipes as possible. Others to consider, and read about on your own, are cilantro and cumin. Back to garlic. This dish is very simple -- Garlic Chicken.

Ingredients
-----------
2 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into strips or nuggets.
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
tapioca starch

OK, this takes no time at all. Cut the chicken and put in a mixing bowl. Add the oil and stir to coat. You just want enough oil to coat the chicken, not drench it. You don't add oil to the pan. Next, sprinkle the sea salt and enough tapioca starch to coat, maybe a couple tablespoons. Stir the chicken to get that light coating on. This isn't a coating like a chicken nugget, just a very light starch coating. As the pan's heating to medium high, crush the garlic and chop. When hot, toss the chicken in along with the garlic, mixing it around. Stir to cook all sides evenly. Serve.

Farmer's breakfast

I don't have a photo of this but may add one later. This is a great weekend treat and a chance for the whole family to eat together. Some of this depends on whether you can eat eggs or not. If you can't, just delete it. Make the rest. It'll still be great.

Ingredients
------------
2 eggs per person
2 sausage links per person (pork or turkey is fine -- check out Wellshire Farms products for some excellent allergy-free, nitrate-free options, or if you wish, buy from a local farmer)
AND/OR 2 strips bacon (same options here has with sausage, and check out Applegate Farms products for another option)
Pancakes -- see recipe here
Pure maple syrup, honey, Smuckers jam or agave syrup, etc.
Rolls
Mellon, oranges, bananas, etc.

Enjoy your family!

Taco Pie anyone?

My kids love Taco Pie, which is a recipe in Lisa Lewis' Special Diets for Special Kids Two. We call this pizza, because it looks like deep dish pizza. And, I've modified the recipe a little in a way that actually creates a "cheesy" texture to the inside. So, to get the original recipe, you'll have to buy the book. Here's my version:

Ingredients
------------
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
taco seasoning mixture -- see recipe below
1 cup milk substitute (I use Darifree)
2 eggs (I use Ener-G egg substitute)
1/2 cup flour baking mix -- see recipe below
1/4 cup salsa (either homemade or I also will use Tostitos brand milk salsa. Frito Lay claims this is GF, CF, MSG free, soy free and egg free. See the company's allergen info here.)

So, first, cook the beef over a medium heat with the onion.

While it's cooking, make the taco seasoning. This is 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp tapioca starch, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cumin. Mix well.

Heat oven to 400.

Now, make the flour baking mix. This is my version.
- 2.75 cups gf flour (3/4 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, 1 cup potato starch)
- 1/8 cup baking powder
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Mix the dry ingredients well in a bowl. Pour in oil. Then mix well with a beater to blend oil in.

Grease a pie plate. I use Spectrum organic shortening.

Drain meat mixture. Pour into pie plate and spread around.

Top with salsa, as much or little as you want. I do it in blotches. If I don't have salsa, I pour a little ketchup here and there.

If you're using egg subs, make them first and let sit a few minutes.

In a bowl, combine milk sub, egg (or egg sub), and baking mix until blended. It may be a little lumpy and that's OK. It will be liquidy. Pour over the meat mixture.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out cleanly.

Easy variations of this are hamburger pie, by eliminating salsa and taco seasoning. You could add an onion seasoning mix to this if you wanted.

Pancrepes!

Ever had pancakes? How about crepes? What about pancrepes?

No, well then you'll just have to try these. This is a homemade recipe (I'm sure you can tell). I normally make pancakes using a gf flour base that's equal thirds potato starch, tapioca starch and chickpea flour. I'm trying to cutback the bean. So, I eliminated it and made the base half potato and half tapioca, just to see what would happen.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I wrapped these immediately around a teaspoon of jelly, using the jelly to help seal them. You could use, of course, any filling.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp syrup (I used Steen's cane syrup. You could use maple or agave or honey.)
- canola oil
- 1/3 cup water
- Smuckers jelly or other filling

I heated a pan with a little oil. Mix all the ingredients well. You'll have to work through the starch well as it's tough. When hot, drop a tablespoon of batter into the pan at a time. This cooks quickly, so flip when the edges start to turn. Fill with a tsp of jelly or other filling, folding the pancrepe together or rolling.

Grind away

So, I've been experimenting again. This time with flours. My goal is to find other flours that work in the recipes I use most. I rely mostly on chickpea flour and, in some sweets, sorghum flour. I mix those in with tapioca and potato starches.

I bought some quinoa grain at $2 a pound and some amaranth grain. Mind you, quinoa flour sells for $6/1.5 lbs. Amaranth, just as much.

Anyway, I threw the grain in my coffee grinder on a fine setting and let it rip. Worked out very well. I made my pancake recipe using the quinoa flour -- turned out perfectly. The amaranth is courser and I haven't used it yet.

This opened my eyes to the world of grinding. Grinders of all types are sold. You'll want a stronger one if you plan to grind corn and nuts, etc. There's a nice comparison of grinders at the Walton Feed website.

It's yet another economical way -- in the long run -- to stick to the GFCF diet.

Asian chicken

Another real easy chicken dish. I had made too many recipes based on a seasoning mixture of chili powder, sea salt and cumin that I decided to go another route altogether. This worked nicely.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, cut up
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp cane syrup (I use Steen's. You could sub honey, real maple syrup, Agave syrup, etc. I used Steen's because of the "dark" flavor it has that lends itself well to Asian dishes.)

OK -- heat a pan on the stove. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Toss into pan. Heat until chicken's cooked (or precook chicken and then just heat to serve). Serve with a favorite veggie.

Chicken or beef hash

This is a dinner dish. It's easy and a neat way to introduce veggies.

Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- ketchup
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 potatoes, diced or cubed
- garlic
- basil
- sea salt
- 2-3 carrots, cut into sticks
- oil

Heat oil in a pan. Add potatoes and carrot. Cook for 5-10 minutes, tossing every so often. Add onion and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add chicken after stirring in 1 tbsp ketchup. Add basil and sea salt. Cook until chicken is done or warmed. Add any other veggies you wish, beans, peas, broccoli, etc.

Enjoy.

Carrot fluff

Easy dish and a different side to get away from potatoes and rice.

• 8 carrots


• 1/2 cup apple flesh


• 1/2 tsp sea salt


• 2 squirts honey/syrup/agave


• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, or potato or corn


• 2 tsp baking powder

Boil chopped carrots and apple in water.

Drain. Mix in other ingredients. Mash. Puree with a hand mixer. Add water if too stiff. Reheat 1 minute. That's it.

Very tasty.

Pancakes -- Spicy chicken pancakes

OK -- so this is a variation on my PizzaBurgerPancake and Spicy Chicken recipes. Very easy.

Make the spicy fish recipe. Set aside.

Make the pancake batter. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup chickpea flour, 1/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup tapioca starch. That's the flour base. Now add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Mix flour well. Add 2 tbsp canola oil and 1/3 cup water. You'll need to continue adding 1 tbsp water at a time until you reach the right "pancake" consistency. And no, you don't need xanthan gum.

I heat a small nonstick pan and toss in some of the chicken with a little onion. Heat for a minute. Then pour some of the pancake batter over top, coating the chicken. Turn when the bottom side is starting to brown, just like you would with a pancake. Cook other side until starting to brown.

That's it.

So, I was asked a question the other day. The answer might be helpful to some.

The question: "Where do you buy your food?"

The answer: Lots of places.

I know, it sounds complicated already. It isn't that bad and I've kind of made it a challenge. Most of the time, it's fun.

I'm a bulk buyer. You should know that up front. I buy larger quantities than normal of foods to cut the per-unit (per pound or per gallon) price of products down. This allows me to buy healthier foods for my kids than I normally could afford. I've also researched foods to find stuff my kids really can eat without fear of getting sick.

For us, that means finding stuff free of gluten and casein, and also soy, rice, corn and a few others.

So, you see the challenge. I start with a menu -- what do my kids eat? What ingredients do I need to make them those foods (after all, with that many food issues, you can't find most of this stuff on the shelf). Where can I buy those ingredients and for how much?

I put these onto a spreadsheet and created monthly buying lists -- shopping lists. I try to maintain a steady shopping budget amount each month. If one month gets too costly, I try to move non-necessities into a month that I'm able to spend more.

The end result of this process answers the question of 'Where do I shop?' Now, I'm from Western Pennsylvania, but I'm convinced you could use this model almost anywhere. In rural areas, you'd have to rely more on mail order items -- still possible. I just bought 75 lbs. of flour from Bob's Red Mill, for example, and saved a ton from buying the same stuff four blocks away at the grocery.

Here's my list:

: East End Food Co-op -- this is a typical food co-op. You'll find them across the country. Search for one using this site - click here. Common buys: some produce, cold cereal, sea salt, baking powder (aluminum free), corn chips, rice milk by the case (20% discount), egg substitute, shampoo and soap (soy free), etc.

: Frankferd Farms -- this is a local food supplier with a focus on organics. I buy some produce, bulk rice, some bulk flour, nuts, dried fruit, carob powder (chocolate allergy), etc. Look around and you might find an organic wholesaler in your area. They often deliver long distances for big orders.

: Restaurant Depot -- this is a chain that serves the food service market. I joined after starting a very small business delivering foods from the places I shop to others. Most cities have businesses like this to serve local restaurants, etc. Find one. You'll find products in large sizes. I buy Heinz ketchup, Lays potato chips, tomato sauce, kosher hot dogs, potatoes, etc. from here, often at great discounts.

: Wal-Mart/Sams -- most of our day to day shopping is done at local community markets or Wal-Mart and Sams. Among them, I take advantage of specials on paper and plastics, cosmetics and other stuff.

: Kennedy Farm -- we buy our beef and poultry from a local farm. This farm north of Pittsburgh sells each weekend in the city. The product is not organic but I have talked with the farm and expressed our concerns regarding gluten, etc. The meat they sell is far better quality than supermarket stuff -- and believe it or not, less expensive. You can search for farms in your area at this website -- click here. Use the search engine function.

: Pacific Pectin -- this is my xanthan gum supplier. If you're going to bake gluten-free, you'll need xanthan gum. It's a binder. It's very expensive. Some places sell this for $10 a half pound. You'll buy it for half that at pacific pectin -- the wholesale supplier -- even with shipping costs. YOu have to buy at least 5 lbs. and store. This will last a long time.

: Miss Robens -- i buy some items from here, including gluten free shampoo and conditioner. also get corn-free baking powder. they also sell flours and candy.

: Bob's Red Mill -- flour, flour, flour. I buy tapioca flour, potato starch and sorghum flour here. I buy 25 lb. bags of each and have it shipped. I still pay far less then the store. I'd also buy my chickpea flour here but Frankferd Farms makes its own at a local mill.

So, there's a look at where I buy. It's a long list, but remember, with bulk buying, I'm not buying at every story each month. Some, I may only buy from twice a year.

Hope it helps.

Chocolate treats -- a simple cookie

This is an easy everyday cookie recipe. It's chocolate and it you notice, it's really my roll recipe, converted to a drop cookie recipe. That's what makes it so easy. To make life even easier, make 2x, 3x or 4x the recipe and freeze. These freeze nicely. So, here's the recipe. Make up your own name.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup carob powder
3 tsp egg replacer powder(Ener-G)
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Mix this well. Then add, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup water. Add extra water by the tablespoon if too chunky. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender.
Using WET hands, form rough circles and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They will be very soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.

Meatloaf

This is easy.

Ingredients
----------------
1.5-2 lbs ground beef
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp Heinz ketchup
1 small onion, cut fine
1/4 cup broth -- homemade gfcf
1/2 cup gfcf bread/roll/cracker, etc.
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 egg, beaten or 1 egg substitute (Ener-G)

Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients well. Bake for 30-45 minutes, ensuring meat is thoroughly cooked using a meat thermometer.

Wings -- (not the band)

What a treat these are to make and enjoy with your kids. I buy a 2 lb. bag of wings every so often from a local farmer. That's when we splurge and have wings and fries night. If you do this, make the fries first (the chicken seasoning "dirties" the oil and will coat the fries).

So, wash the wings. I cut them into sections and remove the tips.

In a bowl, I mix chickpea flour, sea salt, paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper to add some punch.

I heat canola oil in a large pan. When hot, I coat the wings with the flour/seasoning mix. I don't use eggs to coat the wings because my kids can't eat eggs. If yours can, maybe try it to get a better coating. Then put into the pan and fry. Turn to brown all sides. Drain after cooked. Serve with fries and ketchup.

GFCF ice cream

I GUARANTEE you'll like this ice cream. It's very easy to make. All you need is a blender. And, there's no dairy, no soy, no rice! This recipe is found in Lisa Lewis' Special Diets for Special Kids Two. Here's how to make it:

Ingredients
---------------
1 cup plus two tablespoons Darifree powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar (if corn is an issue, buy corn-free from Miss Robens or make your own using a coffee grinder or blender)
1.5 cups very hot water
2 tablespoons Spectrum palm shortening (this is organic shortening - no soy)
1/2 tablespoon guar gum OR 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (note the difference here between tablespoon and teaspoon. If you use too much, the ice cream takes on a taffy like texture)

Put all into the blender and blend well for a couple of minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides to free any powder or clumps stuck to the side. Blend again until smooth -- ice cream smooth. Put into a freezer safe container and freeze. You could also make this using an ice cream maker.

That's it. Wait until frozen, serve and enjoy.

Untomato sauce

This actually isn't as bad as you might expect. In fact, I eat it with the kids just because it causes less acid reflux after a plate of spaghetti. The only downside to this is it takes a little work. I make big batches and freeze in portions.

Ingredients:
23 oz. carrots washed and peeled
15 oz. beets, washed and/or peeled
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups water
2.5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic or two cloves crushed
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if preferred)
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

I start by prepping the vegetables and garlic and cutting into pieces. Then boil until cooked through and soft. Let cool.

Put veggies into blender by the handful along with some of the water and broth. Blend smooth. Continue until all veggies are blended. Put into large bowl. Mix in remaining liquid. Put through blender again to get smooth texture. Pour into stove pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Heat to serve.

Try. You can adjust color by tinkering with the ratio of beets and carrots, or by adding others such as yams, zucchini flesh or squash. You can adjust the spice factor by adjusting the cayenne. You can turn this into chili sauce by upping the cumin and chili powder. You could turn this into a tomato paste by cutting back some water and cooking it down.

Pizza burger pancakes

I think this food is just as fun to say as it is to eat. And my kids love pizza-burger pancake nights. I do too, because they're quick and easy.

First, you make the pizza-burger part, which really is just ground beef cooked and drained, and then seasoned with a taco or other spicy kind of flavor. Personally, I use chili powder, cumin and sea salt. That's it. (Note: I make about two pounds of this at a time and freeze them in 1/2 pound portions for later use. This comes in handy when you need a quick meal.)

While the meat's cooking, make the pancake batter. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup chickpea flour, 1/3 cup potato starch and 1/3 cup tapioca starch. That's the flour base. Now add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Mix flour well. Add 2 tbsp canola oil and 1/3 cup water. You'll need to continue adding 1 tbsp water at a time until you reach the right "pancake" consistency. And no, you don't need xanthan gum.

I heat a small nonstick pan and toss in some of the ground beef. Heat for 30 seconds. Then pour some of the pancake batter over top, coating the beef. Turn when the bottom side is starting to brown, just like you would with a pancake. Cook other side until starting to brown.

That's it. I serve a half pancake to each girl with some ketchup to dip in. My youngest likes this cut up into pieces. My oldest likes to eat it whole. I haven't tried, but I'll bet these would freeze nicely.

Back -- with ketchup fish

Happy New Year!

And let me introduce you to "Ketchup Fish."

Yep, just like it sounds. Ketchup. And fish.

So, here's what you need:

1 lb. cod or other firm fish
1 tsp sea salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2-1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon Heinz ketchup
1-2 potatoes cut into thin "fry" strips

Heat a nonstick pan. Cut fish into bite sized pieces. Toss in a bowl with other ingredients to coat. Toss into pan and cook until fish is flaky and potatoes are cooked. That's it.

Enjoy.

Sweet & sour sauce

Here's a good sauce to use with beef or poultry. It's very easy and made with stuff you probably already have on hand. Feel free to tinker with it too.

1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
1/2 cup Heinz vinegar (gf)
1/2 cup sugar or sweetener
1/2 cup water (more or less to adjust how thick or thin you want the sauce)

Mix in a bowl. That's it.

Sick tummy

Well, haven't been posting for a while. Kids have been sick. Actually, we've all been sick with a stomach virus -- a bad one. The experience was so bad with our littliest that it prompted me to post about how we handled a very touchy situation. Maybe somebody out there will benefit from this.

Our littliest is 3 and vomitted everything out of her system. She couldn't eat or hold water for more than a day and we became very concerned about dehydration. So, we tried this, and it worked.

We took a tablespoon of a roll and fed it to her, then a quarter cup of water. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Do it again. Repeat all day if necessary. Later, we switched to diced potatoes boiled in salt.

The little food is enough to keep the water down and eventually, the water will rehydrate the body, the food helps to settle the stomach and your kid starts to feel better. We did this for most of a day to keep water in her system. The second day we didn't adjust much. We started out the same and then upped the portions by 2x starting with lunch. We also added some cubed chicken pieces at lunch -- not a lot -- and some carrot.

It wasn't until the third day that we were able to add more food and unlimited water. But, again, this was a very bad stomach virus.

A flour mix for all baking

This is a very versatile flour mix. You can make many different baked goods using it. All start with the basic dry mixture.

BLOG UPDATE: Note, these are some of my first basic recipes. They are simple and crude. Yet, they are enough to get started and get cooking. If you're looking for something else, browse my blog for some of my newer bread and cookie recipes, like Lindsay's Bread or my All-purpose cookie mix. On this page, however, the Basic dry mix below is very versatile and can be used as a foundation for just about anything.

Basic dry mix
-------------
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp egg replacer powder(Ener-G)
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt

1 - Dinner rolls
Add:1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Beat with blender. Using WET hands, form circles and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

2 - Pie crust
(leave out baking powder)
Add:1/2 cup canola oil
1/3-1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil. Beat with blender. Add 1/3 cup water and mix. If too crumbly, add 1 tbsp at a time until less crumbly and able to be pressed without cracking. Press dough into greased pie plate. Bake 1 minute at 450. Then make pie as instructed.

3 - Meat or veggie wrap
(leave out baking powder)
Add:1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Beat with blender until workable dough forms. Add a tablespoon or two more flour if necessary. Cut dough into four portions. Roll each out, one at a time, on floured surface. Slice each into two pieces and place meat or veggies on closest edge. Wet the edge with water, then roll up the filling in two complete rotations. Slice off extra dough. Wet edge with water. Place edge side down on greased cookie sheet. Brush tops with oil and salt. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

4 - Cinnamon cookies
Same as #3
(add 1 tsp baking powder)

Roll out entire dough and end with the longest section being the width in front of you. Brush with canola oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and generous amount of sugar. Roll up. Seal edge with water. Brush top with oil and sugar. Cut into 1/2 wide cookies. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes at 400.

5 - Crackers (like saltines)
Same as #3.
(Leave out baking powder)

Roll out entire dough into a near-square shape. Brush top with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Use a pizza cutter to cut rows both ways. Prick crackers with a fork. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet.
- variation: add onion or garlic powder to the dough.

6 - Pancakes
Do NOT use the entire dry mix recipe above. Use 1 cup of the gf flours (1/3 tapioca, 1/3 potato starch, 1/3 chickpea). Add 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder and mix with 2 tbsp oil and 1/3-1/2 cup water. Pour batter 1-2 tbsp at a time onto hot nonstick pan with 1 tsp oil on it.

7 - Bagels
Same as #1.
Add 1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup water

Add 1 cup extra flour mix (tapioca, potato starch, chickpea) to the recipe. Heat broiler on high, set rack two rungs down. Boil pan full of water on stove top. Grease a cookie sheet with Spectrum shortening. On a floured surface, with floured hands, roll a ping pong sized ball of dough between hands until smooth. With a floured finger, poke hole through middle. With dough still around finger, smooth the dough on the bottom that's disturbed from the poking, then pull off. Repeat for all. Place on sheet. Broil small bagels for 2 mins then flip and broil another 2 mins. Watch closely. They should lightly brown on top but not burn. This will happen quickly. Repeat for all. Place bagels in boiling water for 2 mins then flip and another 2 mins. Meanwhile, turn off broiler and heat oven to 350. Place bagels on paper towel while doing the rest. Put bagels on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 mins for smaller sized and 20-30 mins for larger, depending on size.

Here's an optional recipe that also works: Mix 1 cup gf flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp xanthan gum and 1/3 cup water. Then, follow same directions as above. The difference between the recipes is this: recipe 2 is a little chewier like a real bagel and recipe 1 looks more like a real bagel. Both are good and my kids will eat both. Try both out and take your pick.

Enjoy.

Dutch potatoes

This is a staple in our home since rice and corn are not allowed. The recipe is quick and easy. It's also healthier than fried potatoes.

Ingredients
5-6 potatoes
sea salt
paprika
water

Peel potatoes and wash. Cube the potatoes or cut into any desired form - strips, wedges, big chunks, small pieces, diced, etc.

Put into large pan. Sprinkle 1 tsp sea salt over potatoes. Pour 1 cup water over potatoes. Cover with lid. Cook on medium high for 20 minutes or until tender. When water's nearly gone, sprinkle 1-2 tsp paprika over potatoes and then stir for 1 minute to mix paprika in and "dry up" some of the potato juice.

Eat.

Oven "fried" chicken

OK -- this is really easy.

Ingredients:
Chicken legs and wings, cut up.
Chickpea flour
Sea salt
Paprika
Hot pepper powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Canola oil

Heat oven to 400. Wash chicken. Toss 1 tablespoon oil over chicken in a bowl. Hand toss to coat.Mix dry ingredients in bowl. When oven is hot, toss chicken and coat in the dry mix. Coat generously. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Turn, drizzle oil sparingly on top of chicken. Bake 5 more minutes.

Very good.

Shoo Fly Pie

If you've never had this Amish pie, you're missing out. And, it lends itself well to a GFCF version of the original recipe. The pie is in three parts: crust, filling and topping.

Crust
-------
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 tbsp sugar - Wholesome Sweeteners
3 tsp egg replacer - Ener-G
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3-1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil. Beat in with blender. Add 1/3 cup water and mix. If too crumbly, add 1 tbsp at a time until less crumbly and able to be pressed without cracking.

Topping
---------
3/4 cup GFCF flour (1/4 cup sorghum, 1/4 cup chickpea, 1/4 cup tapioca)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar - Wholesome Sweeteners
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp Spectrum organic shortening

Mix together until crumbly.

Filling
-------
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses - Golden Barrel (unsulphured)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg yolk (I subbed with Ener-G (1.5 tbsp powder/1 tbsp water)

Mix together well.

Directions:
1 - Press crust dough into greased pie plate.
2 - Bake 5 mins at 450.
3 - Pour filling and topping in layers into pie crust. Leave enough topping aside for one layer.
4 - Bake 10 mins. at 450. Pull from oven.
5 - Add leftover topping.
5 - Bake 20 mins more at 350 or until firm.

Enjoy.

The cause of autism?

This likely is interesting to anyone reading this blog. It might explain why you have to eat this way. This article ran worldwide and you can easily find it on the web. I've reposted the version from the Globe and Mail.

Chemicals may be damaging kids' brains
SHERYL UBELACKER
Canadian Press

Environmental exposure from hundreds of industrial chemicals could be damaging the developing brains of children worldwide, but few of the potentially toxic compounds are regulated because too little is known about their effects, researchers say.
In a paper published on-line today in The Lancet, two specialists in environmental medicine (each of whom has spent decades studying the effects of lead and mercury exposure on fetuses and children) compiled a list of 201 industrial chemicals they say have the capacity to cause irreparable damage to the developing human brain.
Lead author Philippe Grandjean, chair of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, said he and co-author Philip Landrigan of New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine had similar experiences while studying the neurotoxicity of lead and mercury.
"First, things were seen in adults," he said, then in children exposed in early childhood, or those whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. "And then we wondered: Is this only happening with mercury and lead?" Dr. Grandjean said in a telephone interview from Copenhagen.
The two researchers undertook an extensive review of published data on chemical toxicity to create a list of those agents most likely to harm the developing brain. Their tally of 201 compounds includes everything from arsenic to benzene and phenol. About half the chemicals are ubiquitous in industrial processes and products and could make their way into the environment through air, water and food.
But because there is a dearth of research on the effects of these chemicals specifically on children, their use has not been regulated in the same way as mercury, lead and PCBs.
The researchers argue that the lack of international regulation is putting children around the globe at potential risk, and they worry whether exposure to such chemicals could be behind such conditions as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (The causes of these conditions remain unknown.)
Calling the potential for harm a "silent pandemic," the researchers are urging governments worldwide to begin strictly controlling these chemicals, instead of waiting for years of testing to provide definitive scientific proof that they are either harmful or benign.
"What we are saying is we cannot afford to wait decades because that way we will expose another generation of children to toxic chemicals that will affect their brains permanently," Dr. Grandjean said. "We cannot afford to do that."
But Warren Foster, director of the Centre of Reproductive Care at Ontario's McMaster University, said there is no data to support the idea that chemical exposure is harming children or that conditions such as autism are caused by such pollution. While Dr. Foster has high regard for the two researchers and calls the goal of their review "lofty," he said their suggestion that industrial chemicals are causing neurotoxic effects in fetuses and young children is "a hypothesis that requires testing."
"The kids actually have to be exposed," Dr. Foster said. "Simply because things are in the environment does not necessarily mean that children are exposed, or are exposed to the concentrations necessary to create the neurotoxicity."
"I don't think it helps them to create fear when we don't have evidence of a problem."
Still, Dr. Foster concedes that until there is definitive evidence of their effects, people should be cautious in limiting exposure to industrial chemicals -- for instance, by not heating food in margarine tubs that can produce harmful compounds.
However, he's more concerned that governments could start banning chemicals based on insufficient data, only to replace them with compounds about which nothing is known.
"We still need coolants, we still need plasticizers, we still need flame retardants, we still need solvents," he said.

Hot "chocolate"

Just in time for the holidays -- hot cocoa. Except no cocoa, or dairy. Still, this is very good stuff. You could give it to all your guests and I'll bet they love it. Really!

OK -- this is easy. Ingredients:

1 mug of hot water
1/4 cup of Darifree powder
1 tbsp carob powder (I buy soy free)
1 tbsp sugar (any sweetener will do)
1/2 tbsp powdered sugar (I use corn-free and this is optional)

Mix and stir until dissolved. This really is good.

If you're cutting back on sweetener, cut out the powdered sugar and maybe try honey or agave nectar instead of sugar.

If you can tolerate cocoa, by all means, use some Hershey's cocoa.

You also could try any milk alternative you wish, from soy milk to rice milk. I think the Darifree naturally has a sweet flavor that lends itself well to this recipe.

Happy holidays!

Silly fries

Here's a neat treat. It's easy. The kids will love it. And, it's a starch that isn't potato or rice.

Find a nearby (or online) ethnic grocery that sells Fufu -- usually at an Asian or African grocery. It costs up to $3.50 for a box. Fufu is cassava flour and is a staple in some countries, much like our American mashed potatoes. Check out my earlier post on Fufu to catch up.

Anyway, make some Fufu. Follow the box directions for one recipe, usually 1 cup water, 1/2 cup Fufu and add some sea salt into the water.

When this is done, if it's too mashy, like mashed potatoes, add some more Fufu to make it thicker and more like a dough. During this process, you can add some favorite herb if you like -- such as thyme, 1 tbsp oil, and 1 tsp baking powder. Mix by hand or spoon until a firm but flexible lump of dough.

Heat some oil in a fry pan. When hot, pull off pieces of the Fufu dough and mold either into flat circles or rub between your hands to make long ropes. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

The circles turn out like fried pancakes and the ropes like fries -- just irregular shaped. I call them silly fries.

Enjoy.

Sensative skin?

Nope -- that's not food. It's soap, shampoo and conditioner. And, I don't mind a free ad for the small company -- Gluten-Free Savonnerie -- that makes this stuff. It's gluten-free. No soy, casein, peanuts, tree nuts, fragrance, and colorants. They're made in a dedicated gluten-free facility and tested.

One of the owners has celiac disease.

Anyway, I use the shampoo and conditioner on my girls, whose skin easily breaks out, and no problems. And, it works. Clean hair.

Order their products online (http://gfsoap.com) or via Miss Robens.

Eggless noodles

This is exciting, for me. These are noodles without egg, rice, corn, margarine or butter. And, they taste great! All store noodles either have rice or corn in them -- neither of which my kids can have right now. So, here's how:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 egg sub (Ener-G egg replacer: 1 tbsp powder, 2 tbsp water)
2 tsp canola oil
10-15 tsp water

Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Important to get clumps out.

Mix egg and let sit 1 minute. Add oil. Then add to the flour mix.

Add water tsp at a time until dough is firm enough to roll without crumbling. It still will appear on the dry side. Let sit for 30 minutes under wax paper.

Lightly flour a board or table, roll dough out (you can do 2 pieces) as thin as possible. Let rest and dry, turning once, until dough feels like soft leather.

Trim uneven edges (I save trimmings to cook into other recipes).

You can cut this any way you want. I use a long flat knife to cut very thin slices about 4-6" long.

You can let these dry even more, freeze, or boil. I boil in salted water with 1-2 tsp canola oil.

After 8-10 minutes (depending on thickness), I drain, lightly salt and add seasoning, like Thyme. Or mix with a red sauce. I'll soon be posting a tomato-less spaghetti sauce that I promise is great.

Now, I won't try to fool you. These will not look like store noodles and that was a problem with my kids at first. It's been many months since they last had a noodle and this time, they polished off the plate. They had forgotten what store noodles looked like. Big hit!

Chocolate cake icing

This is an updated version of this icing recipe. I've found a version that works much better. I'm sure it'll continue to be a work in progress.

1 cup powdered sugar (if corn's an issue, make your own or buy corn-free)
1 tbsp carob powder (cocoa is fine)
1 tbsp organic Spectrum shortening
2 Ener-G egg subs (3 tbsp powder, 4 tbsp water)

Mix the sugar and carob well. Make the egg sub and let sit 2 minutes. Add all ingredients in bowl and blend with a mixer. Spread on cake!

And, just to be thorough, here's the old recipe version below:

This is a simple icing recipe. It's quick, easy and reliable.

And, there's no soy, dairy, gluten, tofu, shortening, margarine, etc. Just basic icing.

In the end, the icing is more of a liquid but after a few hours, turns into more of a harder icing shell -- not quite as hard as a candy shell, but just more solid.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp powdered sugar (I use Miss Robens corn starch-free)
2 tbsp carob powder
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp canola oil
water

Mix the dry ingredients well. Add the oil and stir well.

Add water 1 tbsp at a time until reaching a smooth, but not runny, consistency. If it's too runny, add tapioca starch. Too thick, add a little water. This is about enough to coat (1) 8x8 cake.

Coffee cake anyone?

This stuff ain't bad.

My kids love my chocolate cake (see recipe links on the right). But I like to mix up the selection every so often with a yellow or white cake. So, I've modified recipes to make this coffee cake. Note, this relies on egg replacer and the gfcf flour mix I use is 1/2 cup sorghum flour and 1/2 cup chickpea flour. You could use any mix you want. Replace sorghum easily with rice flour. Replace the chickpea maybe with 1/4 cup tapioca and 1/4 cup potato starch. Anything will do. But, you'll notice -- no soy, rice, gluten, casein, corn, yeast, butter or margine.

Ingredients:
- 1 egg substitute (I use Ener-G egg replacer: 1 tbsp powder with 2 tbsp water)
- 1/2 cup water (during mixing, I end up adding up to another 1/2 cup to reach right consistency)
- 1 cup gfcf flour (I use 1/2 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup chickpea)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp baking powder (Miss Robens sells some without corn starch)

Topping ingredients:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (I prefer Wholesome Sweeteners to avoid allergens)
- 1/2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp Spectrum shortening (or just use canola oil)

Directions:
Mix the egg sub in a bowl. Let sit 1 minute. Add all ingredients EXCEPT the last four -- brown sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and shortening. Blend well with mixer.

Mix last four ingredients in small bowl. Stir together until crumbly (this is the topping).

Heat oven to 350. Grease 8x8 baking pan with Spectrum shortening. Pour batter in the pan.

Sprinkle topping over batter until well covered.

Bake about 20-25 minutes. Mine is usually done in 20.

You'll notice this is a "shallow" coffee cake. I prefer it that way. You could also bake this in a round cake pan for a circular cake.

Or, double the batter recipe to make a thicker coffee cake and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Yum.

Chili burgers

Now here's a really simply burger recipe that my kids like. They seem to like spicy foods. And, it has cumin in it, which is a good spice antioxidant.

Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (I prefer farm bought)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
diced onion to taste or onion powder
1 tbsp Heinz ketchup

Mix together well. Form into patties. Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Easy. Enjoy.

Awesome "chocolate cake"

This is chocolate cake for even the most particular diet. To start, it has no chocolate, although you could use cocoa powder just as easily. Needs no rice flour. No butter, milk, yeast or soy. Amazing! This is a staple in our house -- the kids call it "ice cream cake," because it has a shine to the top that resembles ice cream.

This really is a carob cake and if baked properly, comes out full and moist.

Ingredients
------------
1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
1/4 cup potato starch (others will do too, but potato adds moistness)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup carob powder (make sure it's free of soy and is gluten-free)
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups water
Spectrum Organic Shortening

Heat oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Add oil and water.

Beat with electric mixer.

Grease an 8x8 baking pan with the organic shortening and do the sides.

Pour batter into pan.

Give kids the beaters.

Bake on 350 for 25 minutes. When done, it will not be completely baked through the middle, but this is a key part of making this because it will continue to self-bake out of the oven. In the end, it will be completely baked through, yet remain moist. (If you do this and it still seems unbaked in the middle, next time, add 5 minutes to the baking cycle.)

I store this in the summer in the fridge with plastic wrap. In the winter, it's OK out.

You can make two at a time by doubling the recipe and freezing one.

You can also make this into a birthday cake. I've split the recipe between two round cake pans. You can easily make icing -- I just make a simple one out of powdered sugar and water with a little oil or the shortening -- not too much.

Spicy chicken

The kids have called this fish, but lately they're realizing it's really chicken. So, we're starting to call this spicy chicken.

I buy farm chicken twice a month, usually a few pounds at a time. When I get home, I wash the chicken breasts, slice them into strips, and boil them. When cool, I freeze them in 1 lb packages.

Pull a package out the night before you want to use it. One package is enough to feed two kids for two nights.

Cut the strips into "nugget" pieces.

In a bowl, mix 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp hot pepper powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp onion or garlic powder.

Heat a nonstick pan to medium high heat. Add 1 tsp of canola oil to the pan.

Stir the chicken pieces into the seasoning mix and rub it in a little -- doesn't have to be coated like a deep-fried batter, just rubbed in.

Cook pieces in the pan until cooked through, no pink.

Easy.

A good morning

This is a good recipe for an all-purpose snack or a breakfast bar. My kids call these "cereal bars" and they easily could be modified.

Ingredients
------------
Flour mix: 1 cups sorghum flour, 1 cup chickpea flour, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch, 1/2 cup carob powder.
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups water with 1 tsp lemon juice in it.
1 cup brown sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners brand is good)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet with Spectrum shortening (actually, I cover sheet with foil, and grease the foil because later, when done, it's easier to remove the bars.)

In a bowl, mix flour, cinnamon and xanthan gum.

In another bowl, mix water, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and soda.

Stir wet mixture into dry.

Should resemble thick pancake batter but not runny. You should be able to spread it on the sheet with a spatula. If too dry, add water. If too runny, add starch.

Spread dough on cookie sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let cool.

When cool, lift foil off the sheet. Peel the baked square off the foil. Then, put it back on the foil and use a pizza cutter to cut into bars. I freeze half.

Buckwheat - less pancakes

"Buckwheat" Pancakes (without the buckwheat)

These are pancakes resembling buckwheat pancakes but without the buckwheat. Although buckwheat is NOT a glutenous grain, it is harsh on the digestive system and a lot of kids cannot handle it. Ours cannot.

Flour mix:
- 1 cup of the following flour mix: equal parts of chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour, 1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour (certified gluten-free), 1/3 cup potato starch flour (certified gluten-free), 1/3 cup sorghum flour.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of flour mixture (above)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 tsp baking powder (corn-free, aluminum-free)
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp Steens cane syrup (http://www.steensyrup.com/)
- 1/3-1/2 cup water

Pre-heat non-stick frying pan on medium-high. Drizzle 1 tsp canola oil on pan and shake around. Mix dry ingredients well. (Note: no need to add xanthan gum to this recipe or egg substitute as you would for many gluten-free bread recipes)
Add 2 tbsp canola oil, syrup and 1/3 cup water. Stir with wire whisk. If too sticky and thick, add 1 tbsp water and stir again. Continue this until it reaches pancake batter consistency -- not too thick but not watery.
Pour batter into hot pan by the tablespoon. Use 1 tbsp for dollar-sized pancakes and 2 tbsp for normal pancakes. Cook until golden brown on one side, then flip.
We serve these with pork sausage from Kennedy's. No syrup. However, you could, for a treat, sift powdered sugar on top. We get powdered sugar from Miss Robens online that's free of corn and is gluten-free.

Autism Diet cheat sheet

I developed this cheat sheet some time ago to give people looking for help with the GFCF diet. How to start? Where to get info? Etc. Maybe it'll help you.
--------------------


The Autism Diet cheat sheet
A quick guide to getting helpful info

1) Goto the TACA website. There's two tremendously helpful things here. First goto their bookstore and consider purchasing the Autism Journey Guide -- you can find it at this link: http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/store/home.php?cat=255. I get nothing for recommending this guide. I just wish it existed years ago.
Second, head to their GFCF articles section at http://www.tacanow.org/tag/gfcf/ for all sorts of good ideas. Read! This might be a bit overwhelming. But you need to know these things. Some of the problems they discuss are invaluable, like testing for supplement levels.

2) Consider buying Lisa Lewis' cookbooks. There's two. Special Diets for Special Kids I & II. Available on Amazon. Tons of helpful info in addition to great starting recipes and a list of online specialty food suppliers. A lot of us who first ventured into the world of GFCF 10+ years ago started with these.

3) Visit http://www.gfcfdiet.com/. It has some helpful info, but almost too much info for beginners. Note it has a link to a huge list of unacceptable foods and a recipe page. Just know this site exists.

4) Goto the GFCFrecipes Yahoo message group and join. This is a tremendous source of help that you can goto daily for advice. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/GFCFrecipes/ Note that the organizers of the message group now have posted all of the recipes submitted over the years to one Website at http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Writermom77/. You could spend a day at this site checking recipes.

5) From the above info, you should get a decent grip on what needs to be changed and generally how to change it. But, where do you shop?

-- Online: some people order foods online. This is very convenient but more expensive. One good one is Ener-G Foods at http://www.ener-g.com/. There's many more. For flour and grains, Bob's Red Mill is the best.
-- Supermarkets with organic sections. Also very expensive but convenient. I'm finding more and more GFCF products and on the shelves.
-- Food co-ops: This is the best option for me in the Pittsburgh area. You join for a nominal fee. It's a grocery but mostly organic, including flours, noodles, grains, breads, produce, etc. Usually, you can buy in bulk and get a significant discount. Find one near you by searching http://www.coopdirectory.org/. Also, search your yellow pages and online for any organic store, wholesaler, supplier in your area.
-- Meats: It's recommended you buy organic. Some buy natural meat that is free of preservatives and hormones. You can search for farmers who sell poultry, beef, ham/pork in your area at http://www.localharvest.org/. Also, check the yellow pages again under farms. I don't buy certified organic. That's my personal choice. But I buy farm meat to avoid preservatives and hormones - and to support local farmers.
-- At many supermarket deli's, Applegate Farms and Boars Head Meats tend to sell stuff that's OK. Search for them on the web to check on gluten status. Also, consider Wellshire Farms meats. Oh, their Website is: http://www.wellshirefarms.com (make sure you get both "ll's" in the Wellshire or you'll go to another farm's Website).

6) Seek the help, advice and support of others who have gone through this. Having someone that you can call with a question anytime is invaluable. The Yahoo GFCFRecipes site (http:health.groups.yahoo.com/group/GFCFrecipes/) is one great place to goto daily.

7) Note: Many kids with autism also have food allergies and intolerances. Do not be surprised if you find this with your child AFTER switching to the diet. That's when it will expose itself. This includes things like soy, corn, tomato, chocolate, rice and beans. If you think this is happening, remember, most doctors only test for allergies, and will not test for food intolerances. Many people do this privately by hiring a company to test their kids blood for intolerances. You can easily do this by mail, sending them blood from a simple finger prick.

8) Be patient. This diet takes time and effort. Nothing will happen overnight. We've found it has been well worth the effort with our daughters. It especially has enabled them to better respond to their other treatments -- therapies and vitamin supplements.

9) I'll leave you with a couple basic recipes. One is for yeast bread, the other non-yeast bread, and a third for cookies. All are gfcf and allergy friendly. They're a good place to start. Enjoy.


-- Tom's Bread: see original posting at http://gfcfrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/toms-bread-gfcf-bread.html
1 1/8 cup Chickpea/garbanzo bean flour
1 cup cornstarch or potato starch
1 cup + 1 Tbs. tapioca flour
3 1/2 tsp. xanthum gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. brown sugar or regular sugar
1/4 tsp. creme of tartar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cup warm water (uncomfortable to touch but not boiling)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (I use peanut oil or canola oil)
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

See original post for the bread machine method. I'll include the oven method below.
Heat to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients including the yeast. Mix thoroughly. Mix together the lightly beaten eggs, warm water, and oil in a separate bowl and whip with wire whisk. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed. When sticky ball forms scrape sides to get all of the flours and ingredients mixed together and continue to mix for about 1 minute more. Scrape into a 9 x 5-inch lightly greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until at least double size (approximately 45 to 60 minutes). Remove plastic wrap and place pan in oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon. Turn the loaf out onto your wire rack and allow loaf to cool or you can slice it while hot.

-- Noah's Bread: see original post at http://gfcfrecipes.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice fl. (I subbed sorghum)
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup corn or potato starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg (or sub)
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup CF milk (or water)
1/3 cup sparkling water

Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients well, except the sparkling water. Once the batter is well mixed, add the sparkling water to make the batter rise.
Work quickly and form batter into buns, bagels, roll, etc. I use hamburger form pans and rings from the Gluten Free Pantry but you can also use aluminum foil to make form rings. I also put the batter into large ziplock bags, cut a corner, and squeeze out the appropriate shape of whatever I'm trying to make, such as bagels.
The batter should be thick and look somewhat lumpy. Don't use too much batter or form too high. The bread will puff and rise and settle back down once cooled.
Bake for 20-25 min until the crust is golden brown.
The crust will be hard out of the oven but will soften once cooled.
They freeze and thaw really well.

-- JR's tolerant cookie recipe:
see original post at http://gfcfrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/02/chocolate-treats-simple-cookie.html

This is a basic cookie recipe. This version is for chocolate or carob, whichever you prefer. I make carob. However, you can also make a spice cookie from this. These freeze well.

Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa or carob powder
3 tsp egg replacer powder(Ener-G) or 1 egg sub
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Mix this well. Then add, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup water. Add extra water by the tablespoon if too chunky. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender.
Using WET hands, form into rough balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. I sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They will be very soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
To make the spice cookie, omit the carob/cocoa and add 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger and 1 tbsp of syrup (any kind) into the 1/2 cup of water.

---

Sorry

Yeah, I let the blog go for a while. But, now I'm back. Sometimes life has a way of overwhelming you. So, I will resume posting and update some of my previous cooking, shopping and recipes from previous posts. This is a learning process, and I continue to learn. So, I'll share!

jim

Recipe guide

A guide to all the recipes on this Web site, sorted by type of recipe.

• Breads, rolls and bun recipes
  
  
• Breakfast recipes
  
  
• Cakes, cookies and sweets recipes
  
  
• Cooking basics and subs
  
  
• Main dish recipes
  
  
• Side dishes
  
  

Side dish recipes

Sides n stuff

• Carrot fluff
  
  
• Corn bread
  
  
• French Fries
  
  
• French Fries - "Silly Fries"
  
  
• Noodles
  
  
• Pickles - easy!
  
  
• Potatoes - "Dutch style"
  
  
• Quinoa stuffing
  
  

Cakes, cookies and sweets recipes

Cakes, cookies and sweets

• Cake - chocolate
  
  
• Cake - Coffee cake
  
  
• Cookies - "Chocolate" bar cookies
  
  
• Cookies - "Chocolate" drop cookie
  
  
• Cookies - ginger spice
  
  
• Ice cream (gfcf)
  
  
• Ice cream (everything-free)
  
  
• Ice cream - coconut milk
  
  
• Icing - "chocolate"
  
  
• Pie -- Shoo Fly Pie