February Cookbook Review: Gluten Free Slowcooking

Gluten Free Slow Cooking: Over 250 Recipes of Wheat-Free Wonders for the Electric Slow Cooker
by Ellen Brown

Celiac disease shouldn’t hold you back from the diversity of cooking! Whether you are strictly wheat-free, or just watching your diet, this book is the first of its kind, specializing in gluten-free slow cooking. Ellen Brown, the author of the highly acclaimed Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking and Gluten Free Christmas Cookies, has created more than 150 new and original recipes for the first book to meet the needs of anyone suffering from gluten intolerance.

(Cover and Description from Indigo. Source.)
Publisher: Cider Mill Press
Publication Date: May 15, 2012


This month, I cooked several recipes from this cookbook.  I made:

Potage St. Germain:

This is a spit pea and lettuce soup.  This recipe is great for a slow cooker because the dried peas take a long time to cook.  The flavour was bright and fresh.  This would be a great spring or early summer soup, with some fresh peas added in at the end.

Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheddar

This is comfort food at its best.  Potatoes, bacon and cheese.  Thick and delicious.  Also very simple to put together.  The truth though?  It could probably be made much quicker in a regular soup pot.  Cook bacon, boil potatoes, add cheese, simmer, done.  All in one pot. 

Italian Cabbage Soup With Sausage

This recipe came into my life right after making a big batch of homemade Italian sausages, so it was perfect.  This is a soup I will make again.  Simple ingredients, full flavour and lots of chunky veggies make this a hearty soup, perfect for a cold winter's night.

Moroccan Lamb Stew

The flavour in this recipe is incredible.  Taste-wise, easily one of my favourites from the book.  Again, my complaint is the number of steps that have to take place before the whole thing hits the crockpot.  Browning the meat under the broiler and then sautéing the vegetables, then using the slow cooker.  It could all be done in one pot, and then left to simmer.

Indonesian Chicken Curry

Nice flavour and Texture, not too difficult to put together.  This one would please those who are wary about curry.  The flavour isn't overwhelming, and it's balanced out with some sweetness.  Worth a try.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Another great comfort food dish, which I made during a snowstorm.  Rich and full of flavour, my husband really liked this one.  I enjoyed it, but I have a different recipe that I like more, although this one gives it a pretty good run for the money.
 





Compared to what I made  from last month's book, which was almost double the number of recipes, this is nothing.  So it shouldn't be a surprise when I say that I have mixed feelings about this book. 

Let me start with the positives. There are many good things about this book.  The recipes are good.  There wasn't one recipe that didn't taste good, and there were several other that looked really good, too, and that I will probably try in the future.  The book contains appetizer-type soups, hearty soups, meat and fish dishes, sides, and desserts.  A nice variety of recipes, inspired by several different cuisines, including Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, and more. 

I also loved the photographs.  I've mentioned before how much I like to see good quality photos of what I'm making so that I know what the meal should look like when it's done.  The book doesn't disappoint on the quality of the shots. 

The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and I had no trouble finding the ingredients, even for the more exotic dishes.  I wasn't worried about making a mistake, because everything was explained in clear, simple language.

Unfortunately, there were a few drawbacks that I just couldn't get past.  I understand that these are personal to me and my experience, so I'll try to lay them out as objectively as possible. 

My biggest issue is that most recipes called for some kind of cooking or sautéing of ingredients before putting them in the slow cooker.  I know that in some cases it's important for food safety reasons, and that didn't bother me.  But other times, when simply softening vegetables or mixing flavours, I'd prefer not to have to take that extra step. For me, this defeats the purpose of the convenience of the slow cooker.  If I were making the recipes in a soup pot, I would do all the steps in that pot, thereby only dirtying the one pot.  I didn't like having to get a frying pan and the slow cooker dirty for one recipe.  A personal pet peeve, but a big one. 

Second, although I thought the photos were beautiful, they weren't always exact representations of the recipes.  I noticed it when I was making the Boeuf Bourguignon.  The recipe calls for sliced mushrooms, but the photo shows whole button mushrooms.  A small thing, yes, but then I noticed it again.  When making the Indonesian Chicken Curry, the recipe calls for diced red bell pepper.  The photo in the book shows long strips.  While neither of these things would change the flavour of the recipes, they do change the presentation.  I think a photo, while obviously taken to show the recipe to its best advantage, should still always show the dish as it's called for in the recipe. 

Finally, and I know this is just me, but I found that most of the recipes could have been cooked just as  effectively in about 20-30 minutes in a soup pot.  Some of the larger meat dishes could not, and I will definitely try some of them in the slow cooker, but many of the soups and side dishes could more easily be cooked on the stove, in much less time.  I enjoyed just having the cooker on and not having to worry about it, but since almost each recipe called for a separate pan to be used at some stage, it actually added a step to use the slow cooker. 

Verdict:  I will continue to use this cookbook, but I probably won't use the slow cooker for all of the recipes.  I'll convert them. This book has good recipes with clear instructions, and I had success with each dish I tried.  It's a good introduction to slow cooker recipes, and it did inspire me to get the slow cooker out again.  However, I found the multiple steps inconvenient with what could essentially be one pot meals. 

It's a toss up.  I don't think you'll be disappointed with the recipes, but it didn't provide me with the ultimate convenience I was hoping for.  I recommend it for the good food, and the beautiful design, but not for the convenience factor.

Purchase:    [  Amazon ]     [ Amazon Canada ]

Wordless Wednesday

Making Mommy Soup

Recipe: Sausage Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I first came up with this recipe when I was craving something simple and spicy to eat.  It is a spicy dish, but one with so much flavour.  It takes less than 30 minutes to put together, but looks like it took much longer.  Definitely a recipe to try if you like spicy food!

Ingredients
Serves 8 as an appetizer (1/2 pepper each) or 4 as part of a main course

4 poblano peppers, cut in half lengthwise & seeds removed
4 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 onion, diced
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 can (186 ml) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/4 cup salsa ranchera (or plain salsa)
1/2 cup Petacones cheese (or other hard, salty cheese, like Feta)

Subsitutions & Where to Find Ingredients:
With the exception of the Petacones cheese, I found everything I needed at my local grocery store.  The Salsa Ranchera and chipotles were in the Mexican food section with the regular salsa.  The poblanos were with the produce.  Feta or Cheddar could be substituted for the cheese. 

Directions
Preheat Oven to 350F

1- Wash, slice and deseed poblanos.  Place with skins up on baking sheet and bake for 15 min.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  Turn over so skins are facing down. 

2- While poblanos are cooking, in a large frying
 pan cook sausage, breaking up into small pieces.  When almost cooked through, add onion, pepper,celery and zucchini and cook another 5 minutes.  Add the chipotles with their sauce and the salsa ranchera.  Let simmer until liquid has thickened and sausage is cooked, another 5 min. or so.





3- When cooked, fill each poblano have with sausage mixture.  Top with crumbled cheese.  Serve as is or place back into oven another 5 min. until cheese is soft. 

Serve with crema or sour cream to help take away some of the heat.  I like to serve mine with fried plantains & tortillas, or with beans & rice.

Gluten Free weekly Menu Plan

Monday: Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Plantains & Rice 

Tuesday: Chicken Tacos  in Soft Corn Tortillas
(Roast chicken breasts, shred, top with grated cheese, avocado, salsa or other toppings on a warm tortilla.)

Wednesday: Hamburgers & Fries 

Thursday: Potage St. Germain (from cookbook of the month) 

Friday: Baked Potato & Bacon Soup (from cookbook of the month)











More menu plans can be found under the Menu Plans tab.

Gluten Free Birthday Party at Chuck E Cheese

Last weekend we celebrated my son's 4th birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, a location previously off limits because there were no meal options for a kid who can't eat gluten.  Not anymore.  Chuck E Cheese now offers a gluten free cheese personal cheese pizza and a gluten free chocolate cupcake at its locations.  I did a bit of research and learned that the pizzas are delivered and cooked in their own sealed bags, reducing the possibility of cross-contamination.  The pizzas are brought to the table sealed, and are cut with their own pizza cutter, which has gluten free written on the side.  It was so nice not to have to bring our own meal for him at his own birthday party.



Gluten Free Cheese Pizza, on the bag it is served in

This is the first year that we've had a party outside of our house for our son, and the first with his friends, and not just family.  We wanted to celebrate somewhere fun, where every detail would be looked after and we could just focus on enjoying the party with our son and our baby.  We were really happy with the way everything worked out. 

We booked the party online, and picked the simplest birthday package, which included pizza and beverages for all the children, a balloon, medallion, and crown for the birthday boy, a turn in the ticket blaster, 16 tokens per child plus an extra 100 tokens for the party, a personal party host, and the table for two hours.  We also ordered a few pizzas and drinks for the adults, and tacked on goody bags for an extra $2.99 per child.  We were initially concerned that with 9 children (3 family, 6 friends) we would run out of tokens, but that didn't happen.  Each game at Chuck E Cheese is only 1 token, and the kids had more than enough. 

Playing air hockey

Chuck E greets each of the birthday children individually

In the ticket blaster

Chuck E Cheese has birthday parties down to a science.  We had a confirmation phone call a few days before the party to make sure all of the details were correct.  Our table was ready to go when we arrived, our host greeted us at the door and she ran through everything for us before guests arrived.  We chose the toppings we wanted for the pizzas and which beverages we wanted, and they were able to provide our son with a gluten free pizza at no extra charge.  After the initial play time for the kids they were served lunch, and Chuck E himself cam out and gave a birthday show.

The birthday show

The gluten and dairy free birthday cake

While the kids were eating, a manager came over and greeted us, making sure that everything was going as planned.  Our host cut and served the cake, and then we sent the kids off to play again before the party was over.  We distributed the goody bags, which contained a mix of little toys and some candy (most of which was gluten free, but not all), and then we said goodbye. 

We couldn't be happier with how everything worked out.  The party ran smoothly and all the kids had fun.  There was enough variety in the activities that each child had something to entertain them.  We had asked when the best time to have a party is, and had been told that Sunday mornings were less busy than most other times.  The place was busy, but not packed, and no one had to wait to play any of the games.  The party ran smoothly, and we enjoyed ourselves. 

I felt that we got good value for our money, and I would definitely consider going back and holding another event there in the future. 

A very intense game of Skee-ball

My niece, playing one of many games

Wordless Wednesday

My little guy's 4th birthday!  I can't believe how quickly he's growing up!

Ready to blow out the candles on his Cars themed cake.

Gluten & Dairy Free birthday cake

Opening presents.  His Mack truck.  A fave!

Tips For Eating Gluten Free in Restaurants

Eating out when one is gluten free can be like navigating a field of hidden landmines.  Even restaurants that have a dedicated gluten free menu might not be safe.  Unless you're eating at a restaurant that is completely gluten free, the chance for cross-contamination is always there.  That doesn't mean never eating out again, but it does mean taking extra precautions.  Here are some tips for eating out that I use with my family.

1- Do your homework:  Whenever possible, scope out the restaurant before heading out for a meal.  While this isn't always possible and doesn't always guarantee that what is advertised is what you get, it does help narrow down choices.  Take a look at the online menu, note if they have any information posted about allergies, or substitutions.  More and more restaurants are adding gluten free selections these days.  Some are completely gluten free.  I had a negative experience this summer with a chain restaurant that advertises a separate gluten free menu on the website, but staff were clueless when we arrived.  Click HERE for that post.  

2- Make contact with the restaurant before you go:  Once you've narrowed down a location or two, give them a call and ask to speak with a manager.  Having a gluten free pasta on the menu doesn't mean that preparation procedures are safe.  Ask questions.  Is there a separate prep area for gluten free dishes?  Are separate cooking surfaces/utensils used?  How aware is the wait staff of your particular food restriction?  What are the ingredients of that menu selection that you think is gluten free but that isn't explicitly listed as being GF?  I experienced this at a fast food restaurant that listed everything as being gluten free, but their fries were not being fried separately.  Click HERE for that post. 

3- Fill in the wait staff when you sit down and ask to speak with the chef:  The more people who are aware of your food issues, the better.  It's important that it be taken seriously.  I know people who tell servers that it's an allergy, because allergies they are aware of and careful about.  Whatever works.  It's important to spell out specifics: You can't have the basket of bread, don't include crackers with your soup, please put the dressing on the side, the pasta must be cooked in a different pot, etc.  If they seem annoyed, speak with a manager.  If the attitude persist, don't go back.  We have a few restaurants we return to regularly because they know my son and never act like it's a hassle to serve him.  This isn't about picky eaters, it's about his health and safety.  I don't want to give my money to a restaurant that doesn't get that.

4- Don't accidentally cross-contaminate yourself:  Just because you can't have the bread doesn't mean that others won't order it.  Be aware of crumbs.  Just because the salad bar is gluten free, doesn't mean that no croutons have fallen into the lettuce.  The ice cream may be GF as well, but the toppings at the sundae bar may not all be.  A little vigilance goes a long way.

5- Show your appreciation:  When a restaurant gets it right, let them know.  Thank everyone who made your visit safe and enjoyable, from the chef to the wait staff and all the way up to the manager.  If it's a chain restaurant, write an email to head office.  Don't forget to name names.  Tip generously.  Tweet about it, write a good review, and send others there.  Although it is a medical necessity for my son to eat gluten free, that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to the fact that it does involve more work on the part of the restaurant.  Some people say So what? I'm paying.  I guess that's one attitude to have, but I would rather say Hey, thanks for going above and beyond.  I appreciate it.  Let me help send you some business.  Win-win. 

If your experience wasn't all you had hoped, there are ways to give that feedback too.  When I went to the fast  food restaurant with my son and found out the fries were being cooked in the same fryer as other foods, I wrote that in my review.  Turns out it was specific to that location, and someone at head office wrote me back to say that the issue had been corrected and staff had been trained on proper procedure.  This is new for a lot of restaurants.  Good, constructive feedback helps them improve their service.  That's a good thing. 

Finding a safe restaurant when you're gluten free can be a lot of work, but over time you will have a network of safe places to eat and enjoy your meal.  Sometimes smaller, local restaurants are willing to go the extra mile.  There's a local Vietnamese restaurant that always takes special care when we bring our son in, and as a result, we give them a lot of business. 

I know that it's always a risk when we try a new place, but I don't want to shelter my son from the pleasures of eating out, nor do I want him to be afraid to try new things.  Most importantly, I want to give him the skills to speak up about his food restrictions, to be able to read a menu and question ingredients, and to be an advocate for himself.  That begins with providing him with a good example to follow, and plenty of real life experiences to learn from. 

Gluten Free at Frankie's Ristorante

Recipe: Gluten and Dairy Free Spinach Soup

I make this soup often because it requires very little time and very few ingredients, but always tastes great.  My son loves it too, which is a bonus.  It is also very healthy!

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag prewashed spinach (baby or regular)
4-6 cups vegetable broth
1 red potato, cubed ***If you can't eat potato, the flesh of one avocado or a drained can of white beans can be substituted.  The point is to add some creaminess to the soup
Salt & Pepper to taste
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Olive Oil

Directions

1- In a large soup pot, heat the garlic over medium heat in a small amount of olive oil (1-2 tbsp.) for 1-2 minutes.  Add spinach and potatoes, and stir to mix.  Cook for another 5 min., or until spinach is wilted.

2- Add vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then  lower to simmer for approx. 15 min., or until potato is soft.  If using avocado or beans, just heat through. 

3- Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  If using a regular blender, allow soup to cool a bit before blending, and blend in batches.

Serving Options:  Garnish with red pepper flakes, or top with Parmesan cheese.  Add GF croutons if desired. 

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

Monday: Focaccia Pie with Goat Cheese & Sausage  (This I'll make on Monday, so it doesn't dry out, but here's a photo of my plain focaccia)

Tuesday: Indonesian Chicken Curry & Mango Salad

Wednesday: Spinach Soup & Caesar Salad 

Thursday: Chicken Parmigiana & Grilled Zucchini 

Friday: Greek Style Gluten Free Pasta Salad 

Guest Post: Gluten Free Eating Tips For Those With Celiac Disease

Those who suffer from celiac disease understand very specifically the problems that come along with eating gluten. Celiac is a very specific disease that causes upset in the digestive system when the intestines try to process foods containing gluten. Symptoms of celiac disease include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nutritional deficiency, and vitamin deficiency. Over time, the result of celiac disease can lead to organ damage if you continue to eat a diet high in gluten.

The disease can’t be cured at this time, but it can be properly managed. The most important tool you have to managing your condition is your diet. Simple dietary changes can guarantee you do not suffer the symptoms of the disease.

Thankfully, numerous restaurants and food manufacturers have recognized the need to offer gluten free foods. Because of this, you have access to more meals, and better tasting foods, than you once would have been able to choose. However, you still need to be smart about the choices you make so that you can avoid the impact of gluten on your body. Here are tips you can use to keep your diet gluten free and tasteful.

Know Your Grains

A gluten free diet can be especially confusing if you are new to it. There are certain grains considered perfectly safe and others that you can’t have.  Your first step to eating a healthy diet will include knowing your grains. It could be helpful to post a safe and unsafe list on your refrigerator.

Safe Grains

You can have the following grains without worry. With the exception of oats, which is still under controversy, these grains are completely gluten free and safe.

• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Corn
• Quinoa
• Sorghum
• Amaranth
• Oats (as mentioned, under controversy)

Unsafe Grains

The grains below do contain gluten, and they should never be included in your diet if you have celiac disease. Very specifically, you must avoid anything that contains wheat or is wheat based. Unsafe grains include:

• Wheat
• Barley
• Rye
• Triticale
• Wheat Starch

Look for Gluten Free Baking Options

Many people think that cutting gluten from their diet means cutting out anything they would enjoy. However, as mentioned, numerous food manufacturers are recognizing the need for specialty foods and are producing tasty meals you can enjoy. These include baking mixes. These mixes use different types of gluten free flour, so you will need to try a few different options to determine which tastes best for you.

Many grocery stores include a specific aisle dedicated to these foods. However, if you have trouble finding options at your regular market, consider visiting a health foods store.

Foods to Be Careful Of Eating

Trying to lead a normal life while dealing with celiac disease can be quite difficult. Obviously, you want to eat normal foods, but there are numerous foods that may or may not contain gluten. The list below includes foods that you should be careful of. Make sure to read the label before consuming them.

• Bread
• Cake
• Cereal
• Beer
• French Fries
• Pasta
• Salad Dressing
• Candy
• Sauce
• Snack Foods
• Soup
• Sauced Vegetables

In order to ensure you are living a completely gluten free life, you will need to carefully read labels before you purchase anything in the grocery store. If you are eating in a restaurant, then you may need to avoid these foods or request a gluten free menu before ordering.

Celiac disease can be completely controlled with diet. You don’t have to suffer from the digestive upset if you choose to eat a diet free of gluten. The tips above can be very helpful in guiding you to the best dietary choices without having to give up your favorite foods.

Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.

The above post contains information on maintaining a gluten free diet.  The information provided in the post is the opinion of the writer, and is not meant to replace the advice of a doctor.