Wordless Wednesday

Blueberry Picking

Recipe: Quick Dairy Free Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

This is a Thai-inspired soup that is a cinch to make and tastes great. The curry flavour is mild, but adds so much depth to the soup that it really should be used. I use Thai Kitchen because it's gluten free, but always check labels, as ingredients change.

Ingredients
(Serves 4)

1 box vegetable broth (I use Campbell's Vegetable Broth, it's GF)
1 can coconut milk (400ml)
1 chicken breast, sliced thinly or in cubes
1 cup green peas
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. grated ginger
1-2 tbsp. yellow or red curry paste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh mint & basil leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions

1- In a soup pot, combine broth, coconut milk, curry paste, and ginger. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

2- Add chicken and peas and lower heat to medium. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 min. Add lime juice, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.

3- Serve with basil and mint leaves to add extra flavour, if desired. For a spicier soup, add some hot pepper sauce when serving.

For a more substantial soup, add some cooked rice to the bottom of each bowl and ladle soup over the rice. Also great served with a mango salad or Vietnamese Style Spring Rolls.

Recipe: Three Ingredient Blueberry Jam

It's blueberry season where I live, and since I love taking the kids out fruit picking, we went to pick blueberries this weekend. They were so fresh that I couldn't help picking more than we probably need, but the kids had fun and I know that I'll make good use out of all those berries. I started by making some blueberry jam. This actually turns out a bit more like a jelly, but it's simple to make, tastes good, and only has three ingredients (I don't count water as an ingredient).


Before starting, make sure you have everything you need.  If you're canning the jam as preserves, make sure you have fresh canning jars that are clean and sterilized.  Follow the instructions for sterilizing provided by the manufacturer.  I put mine in a 200F oven for about 20 minutes.  To seal the cans by boiling, I put the canning pot full of water to boil once my ingredients for the jam are in the saucepot.  Place a ceramic or glass plate in the freezer to check for jelling before you start.



Ingredients
(This recipe makes approx. 6 (250ml) jars of jam)

8 cups clean, ripe blueberries (I don't cut the blueberries because they explode while cooking. I just press down on them while I stir. Feel free to chop them if you prefer.)
2 cups white sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup water

Directions

1- Get all equipment ready. Wash blueberries and put them in a large pot with sugar, lemon juice and water. Bring to a boil, stirring to mix all ingredients.

2- Cook for about 15 minutes. At this point, I check for doneness by putting a spoonful of the jam on the chilled plate.  Return the plate to the freezer for one minute with jam on it.  Take it out, and run your finger through it.  Jam is ready when the line you made with your finger doesn't immediately get covered again with the jam. Jam will be runnier than the final product, because it will "set" as it cools.  If it's not ready after 15 minutes, check again every 5 minutes.  

3- Remove from heat and ladle into clean canning jars. Place seals and lids on jars and tighten to fingertip tight. If preserving using boiling water method, place jars in boiling water and cover, allowing to boil for 5 full minutes before removing from water using tongs. Allow to cool for 24 hours.  You should hear the lids pop as they cool, creating the vacuum seal. Any jars that don't pop should be refrigerated and used within a few weeks.

 

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

I'm on a little bit of an Asian inspired food kick. None of these recipes would be considered "authentic" but they have the flavour inspiration and feel of some of my favourite Asian dishes.








Monday: Thai Style Coconut Curry Soup

Tuesday: Tofu w/Mushrooms and Green Beans
(From the Gluten Free Asian Kitchen)










Wednesday: Beef & Vegetable Stew 





















Thursday: Peanut & Rice Noodle Stir Fry (RECIPE)  












Friday: Chicken Meatballs w/Chili Dipping Sauce & Vietnamese Style Rice Paper Rolls (RECIPE)

Recipe: Gluten Free Crustless Bacon & Pepper Quiche with Goat Cheese

I haven't been having the best of luck lately with gluten free pie crusts, and although I don't mind making my own from scratch, it's not something I want to do while cooking for the week, especially during the heat of the summer. The best GF crust I've ever used was from the Kawartha Bakery in Lakefield, ON, but since I don't live near there, I don't get to buy it often. So I made a crustless quiche instead. This week was all about clean out the fridge cooking, and this quiche is a great example of that. Feel free to substitute for whatever vegetable you have on hand or like to eat with eggs.

Ingredients
Preheat oven to 375F
** You will need a pie plate or reusable aluminum one to pour in the mix.

10 eggs
6 slices bacon
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced (any colour except green)
1 cup milk or milk substitute (I used Soy milk, it worked fine)
1 cup grated white cheddar (I used goat's milk cheddar)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or other dried herb you like
Grated parmesan or crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Directions

1- Roughly chop the bacon and fry until cooked through. I like my bacon crispy, but it's up to you. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

2- Dice and cook the bell peppers and any other vegetables in the bacon grease until soft. Drain on paper towels as well.

3- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with milk, a bit of salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet.

4- Place the bacon, peppers in the pie plate and pour the egg mixture over top. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top, if using. Place the pie plate in the oven still on the baking sheet. This catches any excess that may boil over.  Cook at 375F for about 30 min. or until the eggs have cooked through. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.

The mix might puff when cooking, but it should settle when finished. Eat warm or cold. I like to cut it into little squares for my son to eat with his hands, but it slices nicely like a regular quiche.

Gluten Free Buzz (9)

Hello friends, and Happy Friday! What better time than the present to wrap up the week's Celiac and Gluten Free Headlines? Here's what made the news this week.

The biggest news of today? The FDA has finally defined what exactly gluten free means when it comes to labeling a product as such. Read the Press Release.

Biohit, a Finnish company, introduces a new fingertip test for Celiac disease, and shares rise.  Reuters has the report.

The incidence of diagnosed Celiac disease is riding worldwide. Healio investigates.

Stanford Pediatric Gatroenterologist answer questions about Celiac Disease.

Food Manufacturers are reformulating children's foods to offer more gluten free options, via Food Processing.

August Cookbook of the Month: Family Approved Gluten Free Recipes by Pam Jordan

Family Approved Gluten Free Recipes
by Pam Jordan

This Gluten Free cookbook contains simple recipes your family will love. The book highlights breakfast, appetizer, main dishes, side dishes, slow cooker and dessert recipes. This cookbook contains over 50 timesaving recipes that kids of all ages will love. Pam Jordan is a working mom to three young kids and a Gluten Free blogger. Only meals that were eaten by her picky eaters are in the book! Recipes include apple pie, onion rings, greek yogurt pancakes, slow cooker lasagna, shepherd's pie, cheesecake, meatloaf, cake balls, baked ziti, pumpkin whoopie pies, and strawberry cake. The recipes take help from store bought Gluten Free product and every day items found in your pantry.



PURCHASE

I'm looking forward to trying out this cookbook for the month of August because it is geared for families, with family approved recipes from a fellow gluten free blogger. She has young kids like I do, and if she can get her kids to eat these recipes, then I'm excited to see how my kids respond to them.

I'll keep you posted throughout the month, and post a full review at the end of August. Happy eating!

Wordless Wenesday

Summer is half over. Try to enjoy landscapes like these before it gets too cold!

 

 

 

July Cookbook Review: The Everything Gluten Free College Cookbook

The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbookby Carrie S Forbes

The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook: Includes Pineapple Coconut Smoothie, Healthy Taco Salad, Artichoke and Spinach Dip, Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Hundreds Mor  

Food that fits your life! Worried about living gluten-fee while you're away at college? Of course, most dining halls have gluten-free options, but sometimes the best way to be sure a dish is truly gluten-free--and delicious--is to cook it yourself. With "The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook," you can easily create your favorite dishes or try something new, like: Ban...morFood that fits your life! Worried about living gluten-fee while you're away at college? Of course, most dining halls have gluten-free options, but sometimes the best way to be sure a dish is truly gluten-free--and delicious--is to cook it yourself. With "The Everything Gluten-Free College Cookbook," you can easily create your favorite dishes or try something new, like: Banana chocolate chip scones Cinnamon raisin french toast Cheesiest macaroni and cheese Curried chicken salad Mexican quesadillas Chewy granola bars Microwave shrimp scampi Ginger-orange chicken breast Molten lava dark chocolate cake Soft gingersnap cookies. Even if you're an inexperienced cook, you can master any one of these 300 easy recipes. From hearty, healthy breakfasts and crowd-pleasing snacks to healthy ideas for the midnight munchies, you'll find everything you need to satisfy your cravings and fit your dietary needs!

Publisher: Adams Media Corporation

Publication Date: June 18, 2013

GOODREADS

PURCHASE
 

 

Review

 

I was very surprised by the range of recipes in this book.  I had visions of the typical college cookbook with 20 different ways to make pizza and burgers, but was happy to see that the author did not talk down to college students or assume that they wouldn't be interested in healthier recipes, or even recipes that might take a little more effort to make from time to time.

 

I tried out the Savory Sausage and Rice, the Breakfast Salad, Mini Quiches, Spring Roll Salad, Pineapple Coconut Smoothie, Three Bean Cassoulet, Citrus Steamed Carrots.

 

This cookbook has more categories than many cookbooks I've used before, including study snacks, microwave meals, special occasions, breakfast, lunch, mains, desserts, and vegetarian options to name a few. Though there aren't photos (at least not in the ebook edition I have), the instructions are clear and the ingredients are easy to find. Every recipe I tried turned out well, and there are so many I've bookmarked to try in the future I would say that this book is definitely a keeper.

 

I enjoyed the range of recipes available, and I honestly think that this would make a great cookbook for anyone to have around, not just a college student. There are recipes that serve one, perfect for a single person living alone, and recipe for a crowd, but many recipes can be adapted to suit however many people need to be fed. All the recipes easily served my family.

 

Verdict: This cookbook is worth the money. The recipes range from simple to moderate in terms of level of difficulty, but there are enough variations here to please almost any eater, and the instructions are pretty simple to follow.

Back to School with Oliver's Labels & A Giveaway!

 

I've talked about Oliver's Labels on the blog before because I think they're one of the best label companies out there when it comes to allergy and food awareness labels, particularly for kids and teens. I first used their items when my son was starting daycare and we needed to label his clothing for the first time. Shortly after that, my son got sick and we realized that he couldn't eat gluten or dairy, and we needed to upgrade his stickers for all his food containers. Oliver's Labels had the best selection of allergy labels, including specific ones that say No Gluten and No Dairy. It's been over two years, and those labels are still as good as new, even though his clothes have been handed down to his little brother.

My son starts kindergarten in September, and he's going to be bringing his own lunch to school. We've been working hard to make sure that he knows not to accept food from other kids, but it's important that his teacher and other staff members also know that he's gluten free, so that he's not accidentally given food that contains ingredients that will make him sick.  When he goes on field trips or if there's a supply teacher in, any new staff he comes in contact with also needs to know that he's gluten and dairy free. That's where the labels come in handy, as a visual reminder of his food restrictions.

My son will be wearing a uniform, with shirts and sweaters that look identical to everyone else's. He's going to need labels for everything from his shirts, to jackets, to back pack, lunch bag, shoes, pencil cases...you get the idea. Oliver's Labels has specific labels for clothing, shoes, water bottles, etc., that are guaranteed to stay put even after repeated trips through the washing machine or dishwasher. The original labels are microwaveable, fridge, and freezer safe on top of everything else.  And it's all available in a convenient Back to School pack that's customizable and includes everything you need for back to school.  The best part, they look good, they're affordable, and they have clothing labels don't have to be ironed on.

I don't iron.

The school package offers 95 labels, distributed among clothing labels, shoe labels, mini labels, original labels, original labels and bag tags. They're also customizable, so the package can be mixed and matched to suit anyone's individual needs.  The labels include a free Found-It code, that helps lost items get returned to their rightful owners.

 

Since there are 40 designs to choose from, I chose Superheroes for the shoe tags, transportation for the mini tags, sports for the clothing labels, and No Gluten for the rest.  I chose designs that are age appropriate for my little guy, but they have over 40 designs to choose from, ranging from preschool to teenage appropriate styles, and even sophisticated adult designs.

My son was so excited to get "stickers" with his name on them, we've already labelled everything for school.

Want to win your very own school package for your child?  Giveaway is open to readers in Canada and the United States. Participants are only eligible to win once, which means that if you win on my blog, you are not eligible to win on another blog participating in this campaign. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I was provided a complimentary school package by the company in return for an honest product review. I have not been otherwise compensated for this post.