April Cookbook of the Month & Giveaway Winner

Before I get to the cookbook review, I want to give a huge congratulations to Alana J., the winner of the Blender Girl cookbook! Congratulations!

I chose The Blender Girl cookbook as April's cookbook of the month, and I'm so glad I did! This book is full of fun and easy gluten free and vegan recipes that anyone can make with the help of a blender.

While most recipes are liquid in nature, including smoothies, nut milks, soups, and dressings, not everything is of the liquid variety. In many cases, the sauce is the part made in the blender, while other ingredients are prepared in different ways.

Contest: Win a copy of The Blender Girl Cookbook!

April's Cookbook of the Month is The Blender Girl cookbook, by Tess Masters! 

This book has been highly anticipated by many in the natural food community, and I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of it to try out for myself. I've already made some smoothies and the Chimichurri bowl was on this week's meal plan.

I know there are many of you would would also love to get their hands on a copy of this gorgeous book, which features all gluten free and vegan recipes. Heading into the warmer months, it's the perfect book to get back into the habit of eating lighter and healthier.

April's Cookbook of the Month: The Blender Girl

The Blender Girl

Super Easy, Super Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts & DrinksTess Masters

What’s your perfect blend?
 
On her wildly popular recipe blog, Tess Masters—aka, The Blender Girl—shares easy plant-based recipes that anyone can whip up fast in a blender. Tess’s lively, down-to-earth approach has attracted legions of fans looking for quick and fun ways to prepare healthy food. In The Blender Girl, Tess’s much-anticipated debut cookbook, she offers 100 whole-food recipes that are gluten-free and vegan, and rely on natural flavors and sweeteners. Many are also raw and nut-, soy-, corn-, and sugar-free. 
 
Smoothies, soups, and spreads are a given in a blender cookbook, but this surprisingly versatile collection also includes appetizers, salads, and main dishes with a blended component, like Fresh Spring Rolls with Orange-Almond Sauce, Twisted Caesar Pleaser, Spicy Chickpea Burgers with Portobello Buns and Greens, and I-Love-Veggies! Bake. And even though many of Tess’s smoothies and shakes taste like dessert—Apple Pie in a Glass,Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake, or Tastes-Like-Ice- Cream Kale, anyone?—her actual desserts are out-of this-world good, from Chocolate-Chile Banana Spilly to Flourless Triple-Pecan Mousse Pie and Chai Rice Pudding. Best of all, every recipe can easily be adjusted to your personal taste: add an extra squeeze of this, another handful of that, or leave something out altogether— these dishes are super forgiving, so you can’t mess them up.
 
Details on the benefits of soaking, sprouting, and dehydrating; proper food combining; and eating raw, probiotic-rich, and alkaline ingredients round out this nutrient-dense guide. But you don’t have to understand the science of good nutrition to run with The Blender Girl—all you need is a blender and a sense of adventure. So dust off your machine and get ready to find your perfect blend.

February's Cookbook of the Month: Let's Eat Out Around the World Gluten Free and Allergy Free

Let's Eat Out Around the World Gluten Free and Allergy Free

Kim Koeller and Robert La France

Eat safe gluten free and allergy free meals in your home and at any restaurant around the corner or anywhere across the globe.

Packed with everything you need to know to prepare meals or navigate a menu in any eating establishment, "Let's Eat Out Around the World Gluten Free and Allergy Free" is an easy-to-use resource that helps you to: Confidently avoid meals with gluten, wheat, corn, dairy, egg, fish, peanut, shellfish, soy, and tree nuts Discover 175-plus dishes across seven ethnic cuisines including French, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Steak and Seafood, Chinese, and Thai Understand ingredients, food preparation, hidden allergens and cross-contact Ask the right questions and order safe meals with or without gluten free menus and allergy charts Plan trips, holidays, and business travel with detailed checklists for snacks, airlines, hotels, and cruise lines Explore overseas destinations with chef translation cards and international travel tips.
Publisher: Demos
Publication Date: January 16, 2014

Review: October's Cookbook of the Month Gluten Free Breakfast, Brunch and Beyond

Gluten Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond
by Linda J. Amendt

Breakfast is the favorite meal of the day for millions of Americans, but those with a gluten intolerance are out of luck, since many breakfast foods and baked items have been banned from their diet. They must find gluten-free alternatives or go without. For the rising number of Americans who are choosing to follow a gluten-free diet as a healthy lifestyle and for parents experimenting with gluten-free recipes for their families, they, too, are having to do without.
That disappointment will no longer be the case. In Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond, home cooks will discover a variety of gluten-free recipes for their family’s favorite breakfast foods. From light quick breads, muffins, biscuits and scones to tasty pancakes, waffles, coffee cakes and sweet rolls, this collection of 100 recipes will bring breakfast back to the gluten-free table. A tantalizing array of frittatas, quiches, and breakfast casseroles are perfect for any meal of the day. The recipes in Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond are quick and easy to make and yield delicious, satisfying results.
Recipes for homemade all-purpose flour, crepe batter, pancake batter, sweet roll dough, and biscuit dough will give every gluten-free cook the basics for creating delicious dishes of their own.
In addition to great recipes, Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond will provide cooks with the information they need about gluten-free ingredients, including ingredients to include—and avoid--in their diet and preparing and measuring ingredients. Each recipe chapter will begin with tips to help home cooks create great-tasting gluten-free breakfast specialties to serve from morning to night.

Amazon Canada // Amazon U.S.

June Cookbook Review: Unbelievably Gluten Free by Anne Byrn

Unbelievably Gluten-Free: 128 Delicious Recipes: Dinner Dishes You Never Thought You'd Be Able to Eat Again

by Anne Byrn

Unbelievably Gluten-Free: 128 Delicious Recipes: Dinner Dishes You Never Thought You'd Be Able to Eat

Unbelievably gluten-free pizza! Unbelievably gluten-free fried chicken! Unbelievably gluten-free pasta! Plus breads, dumplings, fritters, pies, cakes, puddings, and more. For the 30 million Americans who have an allergy or sensitivity to gluten—and their families, who want to reclaim the dinner experience of everyone eating the same thing—Anne Byrn crea...Unbelievably gluten-free pizza! Unbelievably gluten-free fried chicken! Unbelievably gluten-free pasta! Plus breads, dumplings, fritters, pies, cakes, puddings, and more. For the 30 million Americans who have an allergy or sensitivity to gluten, and their families, who want to reclaim the dinner experience of everyone eating the same thing; Anne Byrn creates 125 amazing dishes where the gluten is gone, and never missed.

Author also of The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, and other cookbooks, Anne Byrn knows how to deliver incredible flavors. She replaces wheat, barley, and rye with gluten-free ingredients and employs creative techniques for achieving flawless textures and consistencies. These are recipes that taste as good, not almost as good, as they should: Tomato Panzanella Salad. Baked French Onion Soup. Spaghetti Carbonara. Grilled Chicken and Pesto Pizza. The Best GF Meat Loaf. Plus dessert: Warm Lemon Pudding Cake, Gluten- Free Red Velvet Cake, Fresh Orange Cupcakes, Old-Fashioned Peach and Blueberry Cobbler, and Gluten-Free Saucepan Brownies.

Includes how to convert favorite recipes and tips for eating gluten-free on a budget.

Publisher: Workman Publishing Group

Publication Date: October 30, 2012

GOODREADS

Purchase:  Amazon

Kat's Review

This cookbook was written by a veteran cookbook writer, and it shows in the clarity of the instructions.  What I liked about each recipe was that there's a note about whether it can be converted to dairy free, which is a big deal in my house right now since my son is currently dairy free.  There are also many great photos accompanying the recipes, making it easy to see what a recipe should look like when all is said and done.

From this cookbook, I made:  Sweet Onion Dip, 5 Minute Hummus, French Baked Pork Chops, Spaghetti Carbonara, Stir Fried Broccoli & Veggies over Rice Noodles, Easy Fried Rice, Baked Eggplant & Zucchini Parmesan.

I didn't get around to making any desserts, but there is a nice variety to choose from.  Many of the baked goods recipes start with a baking mix, which to some people might seem like cheating, but is fine to me.  The only problem was that many called for Gluten Free Bisquick, which I haven't been able to find in Canada.  I could substitute, true, but whenever a particular product is called for, I try to stay true to the recipe. 

I had success with every recipe I tried.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and unlike some gluten free recipes I've tried lately, they were all full of flavour.  My dishes ended up looking remarkably similar to the photos in the book, another plus.  This would make a great book for beginners.  Many recipes call for premade crusts or use baking mixes, reducing the chance of error and shortening prep times considerably.  I'm not a novice in the kitchen, but with two kids in the house, I like my meal prep to be quick and efficient.  This cookbook is perfect for that.  You can pull off almost any recipe in this book without much fuss.

Verdict

I would recommend this book for people looking for quick meals that are easy to pull together, and who don't mind taking shortcuts like using baking mixes.  There is certainly a place on my shelf for cookbooks that have more complicated recipes, but if I'm looking to make something that tastes great but doesn't require a ton of effort, this book is a good choice.  Plus, the onion dip is one of the best I've ever tasted.  I served it at Father's Day, and it passed the family taste test.   

Cook Book Review: Gluten Free Cakes from Around the World

Title: Gluten Free Cakes from Around the World: Traditional and Time Tested
Author: Patricia J. Browne
Format: ebook
Price: $9.97
Buy it HERE at the Gluten Free Around the World website

Disclaimer:  The author of this book provided me with a free copy  in return for my review.  I did not receive any payment, and I do not make any money from book sales.  My review is an honest personal assessment of the cook book based on the results I had baking some of the recipes.

Review:  Gluten Free Cakes From Around the World is a collection of cakes that are naturally gluten free.  No complicated flour substitutions required.  The book is divided into sections by cake type, not geographical location, and includes nut and nut free cakes, cakes with grains, seeds, roots and tubers, chocolate and chocolate free.  The author provides substitution ideas for those who are dairy free, like my son.  She also includes a section of toppings and fillings, categorized into dairy and non-dairy sections. 

I was impressed to see that the table of contents included cakes from a wide cross-section of countries, including Spain, Mexico, Italy, Czech Republic, Martinique, Russia and Morocco among others.  I even found a cake in there from the closest city in Italy to where my Dad was born, Pescara.   I'm looking forward to trying that cake out! 

I chose two cakes to make, and I intentionally chose two of the simplest cakes that did not require any complicated equipment or tricky procedures.  I'm not a particularly skilled baker, and I didn't want my results skewed by my lack of baking prowess!  The first cake I tried was the Easy Orange Garbanzo (Chickpea) Cake from Mexico, which used cooked chickpeas as the base.  I whipped it together quickly while dinner was cooking for my taste testers, and it baked while we ate.

Easy Orange Garbanzo Cake

The result was a lightly flavoured cake that reminded me of a coffee cake, although denser.  The recipe called for dusting the top with powdered sugar, but I didn't have any so I just sprinkled some regular sugar on top.  Not nearly as fancy, but it did the trick.  The flavour was a nice mixture of cinnamon and orange, and it passed the taste test of my two year old.  The recipe states that it serves 6-8, and we definitely got that many slices out of it, but that's without anyone wanting seconds.  I would suggest baking two of them or slicing the cake into squares, rather than traditional slices. 

Slice of Easy Orange Garbanzo Cake

We were in a bit of a hurry to taste it, so you can see from the photo that we didn't let it cool properly and the bottom is still a bit moist.  Entirely my fault, not the fault of the recipe.

The second cake I made was the Simple Walnut Cake from Italy, and I prepared it for Easter.  The cake was simple to make and only needed 4 ingredients: eggs, walnuts, sugar, and lemon juice.  It sounded too good to be true!  My toddler helped me prepare this cake and it was almost as easy to make as a cake from a mix.  This cake had a springy, almost angel food cake quality to it.  I would recommend making two and layering them with a cream-cheese style icing if dairy isn't a problem, or to use a glaze on top.  The cook book recommends dusting with icing sugar, which would be nice too.

Simple Walnut Cake

Simple Walnut Cake

I was encouraged enough by the results of the two cakes I made to want to try more of the recipes.  I love that so many of the cakes don't need any flour at all, and are so simple to prepare.  The two cakes I made had a wonderful texture and flavour, and were well received by my taste testers aged two to sixty two.

My one wish for the cook book would be the addition of photographs alongside the recipes, mainly since many of the cakes are unfamiliar and it would be nice to have the reassurance of the photos to compare with my final results.  Other than that, I was pleased with what this cook book had to offer.

Verdict:  I recommend this recipe book.  The cake recipes are unique and interesting, and are a nice change from the typical commercial mixes available for gluten free cakes.  Several recipes have short ingredient lists, with inexpensive items.  I really appreciated the international selection of cakes I otherwise would not have known about, and I particularly enjoy the fact that these cakes are naturally gluten free.  It reminds me that not EVERYTHING has to be made with white flour, and expanded my taste buds at the same time.