a not so happy birthday cookie

It's my grandpa's 90th birthday tomorrow. I thought that I would make him some chocolate cookies.

It didn't work. I followed a recipe from The Casual Baker and I couldn't make it work. I don't know why?

I tried ...

 and then I tried again. This time I thought I would put them in my muffin top pan. But how do I get them out?

Needless to say it didn't work out.

 

This is one cookie I can't conquer. My grandpa will have to enjoy his birthday sans GF cookies.

Dang!

Source: adapted by The Casual Baker

a citrus salad, on a rainy day

I've been sick for over a week and haven't done any baking or cooking. It's been chicken soup (sans the noodle), ginger ale and pho. Pretty soupalicious. Today was the first time I've been able to actually taste anything.  It has been pretty crazy in the city (with a small event called the Olympics), the sun has been out and downtown Vancouver has had an intensely patriotic spirit people have never seen before... Today I woke up and knew I had to go back to work after being off sick and the rain was pouring. After an exhausting walk to work I knew it would be a long day.


To brighten my spirits I thought that I would make my favourite Quinoa Citrus Salad for dinner. 



I was introduced to this salad back in high school. Before Quinoa was commonly known and pronounced properly and WAY before its nutritional info hit the Canadian Food Guide. I remember when I had to go to the local grocery store and ask 3 people before someone even knew where to find Quinoa. Over the years it's become more readily available and last week I was even able to find it at Costco (thanks to a colleague from work letting me know they sell it there). Not only is it sold in large quantities now it is made in a wheat free facility!   Jackpot.

Now that is a main stream grain.







I've added a few things to the recipe my friends mum gave me - it's pretty flexible and any seed or dried fruit would be tasty in this salad.

Citrus Quinoa Salad

1 cup Quinoa

¼cup Diced dried apricots

¼cup Diced dates

¼cup Dried cranberries

¼cup Sunflower seeds

½cup canned Mandarin oranges, halved

½cup Fresh strawberries, sliced

2 green onions; diced

1 tbsp Sesame oil

2 tbsp Granulated sugar

¼ tsp Coriander 

1 tbsp of the mandarin juice

1 Lime, zested

Juice of 1 lime (about 3 tablespoons)

Rinse quinoa under cold water in sieve. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Let cool.


Dressing: in a small bowl combine sesame oil, sugar, coriander, zest of the lime, lime juice and mandarin juice.



Mix together remaining ingredients into the cooled quinoa. Add the dressing, toss and serve. If you want the dressing to marinade make 2 hours before serving. I personally love this the next day. I could eat it forever.
Serves 4.

a chocolatey crinkle, gluten free

I love to bake. I know I mentioned that before - but I really do.  I am THAT person who starts baking for Christmas in November and does it every weekend prior to ensure there is enough to give out to all friends. I love creating cookies and I also love traditional recipes. I have only recently started to bake again. I found it extremely overwhelming with the crazy flours and the quantities of them within a single recipe. It seemed too much. Why do we need to use 3 types of flours to make a simple (yet soo complicated) cookie?

With the addition of xanthum gum to my pantry, I attempted.

It didn't go too well. The first cookie recipe I made ended up turning into muffin-top-like cookies. They were delicious but soft and essentially a muffin mix and when I spooned them onto the cookies sheet -  it became a big mess. Since then, I have officially bought into the use of the multiple flours. It is expensive but definitely worth the result.

Today, through the combination of a few recipes, I made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

They turned out great. I had a few friends drop by en-route to the LiveCity Yaletown and within minutes they were gone. They had no idea there was no "regular flour". A very successful baking adventure.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Gluten Free

1 cup rice flour

1 cup tapicoa starch

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthum gum

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Small bowl with sugar, for tossing the balls in

4 ounces dark chocolate, gluten free

1/4 vegetable oil or if you like a stronger oil, olive

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (sour cream will make them richer in taste)

1 tbsp vanilla

1 egg

Combine and mix together all dry ingredients. Melt chocolate in microwave, I tend to do 30 second intervals until fully melted. Set aside.

Mix together oil and sugar until fully combined. Add apple sauce, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Mix well.  Slowly pour in melted chocolate. Mix until it is fully combined.

Add dry mixture by 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time. It will be sticky at the end and may seem a bit wet for a cookie dough... but as I mentioned before... patience.

Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 2 hours.

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Form small balls (I like to use a tbsp to get even sized balls.

Toss in the bowl of sugar and place on either a non-stick cookie sheet or cover with a slip pat or parchment paper.

Cook for 10 minutes and then leave on the cookie sheet for an additional 10. They are a soft cookie and need to set before you life them off of the cookie sheet.

Warning! I find gluten free cookies dry out quickly! These are soft and uber tasty the day they baked but can go dry fast. Once they are cooled I put them in the freezer.

miso chicken

Miso Chicken, GF

I thought for a month + I couldn't have anything soy or soy infused. Then I got over it and bought tamari.

I was out for dinner a while ago at Sandbar and I wanted everything that was with a Miso sauce. Maybe you just want what you can't have? I couldn't order it because it had the soy. The damn soy that everyone uses to flavour. Why can't our world just switch to gf tamari or braggs?

I decided to make it for myself. How else was I going to enjoy it?

I was watching a cooking school lesson on pan frying from Rouxbe on the weekend. I decided, albeit slightly overwhelming when it came to the water check, to try. I've never cooked anything by pan frying. I have always thought it was unhealthy and scared of burning. It turned out so moist and delicious. It didn't burn. The chicken had a gorgeous brown colour and I used only 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and I didn't feel like it was as unhealthy as I had expected.

I wish I had made more.

Chicken breast
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for pan frying
1 shallot
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 individual package of miso paste (ensure to read the ingredients state no wheat) made to package instructions. Usually 3/4 or 1 cup of hot water.
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce, gluten free
1 tsp sugar*
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar*
* Made to replace Mirin, which I have yet to find gluten free.

1/2 cup of water available to add if needed

Combine the miso water mixture, soy sauce and sesame oil.

The chicken:
Ensure chicken is dry by patting with paper towel.
Lightly season with salt and pepper
Pan fry chicken breast(s) - really this is a great way to learn and way easier to understand than having me explain. After cooking chicken, remove and let sit under a tinfoil tent.

I learnt a new word today. Sucs. I was watching the pan frying lesson and the instructor said "sucs". What? I watched and listened again... Sucs. I tried to google it: sooks, souks, soooks?

Nothing. I was so annoyed. I am not the best at spelling but come on! Google can't even help me. I went back to the website and did a bit of recipe investigation until I found this one. Sucs. Don't burn the freaking sucs.

Sucs is what is left in the frying pan after you pan fry. To make the miso sauce - I used the sucs of the pan left from cooking the chicken.

Chop the shallot and ginger and add to the pan after the chicken is removed and left to sit. Saute for 1 minute. Add the miso mixture. Allow to reduce. After tasting I added more water as I wanted it to be a bit more diluted. After reduction takes place, add the mirin like concoction and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

Spoon miso sauce over chicken.

I served it with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Asparagus and Carrots!

Gluten free miso sauce deliciousness!

to bake and to cook

I love to bake and to cook.

I found out over three months ago that I have Celiac Disease. After a series of tests and the final diagnoses, I walked away thinking it would be a straight forward transition. It ended up being very overwhelming. After a month of rice cakes and Corn Chex and a near empty fridge, I started to cook again. It has taken a while but I now have a good grasp on gluten and wheat free cooking.

After I handed every gluten infested item to my friend Matt -I was left with a new start.

It has changed my life and eating in many ways. I was always good at making food from scratch and making home cooked meals but gone are the days of stopping for sushi or Korean BBQ or or or... There are no short cuts to a gluten free meal (well that taste any good). Baking has been the most difficult to conquer. I am getting there and I love the way I feel and I am determined to not slip.

Baking and cooking have been passions since grade 8 foods. With positive encouragement, from amazing friends, I have started this blog. I hope to encourage those who are unsure of gluten free cooking and share what I love.

To make delicious food.