You may have realised by now that I have a slightly balmy obsession with bread making.
Given the increasing diversity of decent ready-made gluten free loaves on the supermarket shelves, I probably need to explain why – so here goes . . .
Although we have no trouble getting our little one to eat gluten free toast, what I really want is to send my child to school with yummy, soft sandwiches in his lunchbox that don’t have any wheat, milk, eggs or preservatives in them. Is that such a big ask?
Unfortunately in the world of gluten free baking it is. So with this goal in mind I bring you the Big Bread Bake Off mark II. Read the rest of this entry »
We did not shirk all of our blogging duties over the Christmas break. We remained vigilant in our search for hot new GF products with the potential to fill our hearts and our pantries. Here are a few recent sightings: Read the rest of this entry »
Every so often we unearth a new gluten free product that makes a big improvement to our quality of life.
Lately, however, it is some older products that have been reinvented or distributed in a new way that have proved to be our saviour – and it is the reinvention of two new breakfast staples that has me all a-flutter this week.
Rice puffs
Our big breakfast discovery for the week are these “new and improved” rice puffs from Freedom Food. We tried this brand a few years ago – but there was something amiss with the texture and taste so we swiftly moved on to Nature’s Path Crispy Rice, which we have been eating happily ever since.
Only problem is they are hard to find – and our local IGA only has them in stock sporadically so we need to buy up a truckload when we see them. Read the rest of this entry »
My haul from last year
Its show time for Sydneysiders once again in November as the Irrisitable Gluten Free Show comes to the Royal Hall of Industries at Moore Park on November 20 – 21.
The venue has changed from last year’s show – which was held at Darling Harbour – and I think it is also a week later than previously scheduled, so do double check your diary.
It may not be as central – but one of the good things about the change of venue is that it also now a good deal cheaper to attend (I’m not sure if the two things are related – but last year I paid $25 entry which was a bit of a sting).
I believe ticket prices are now $10 per adult at the door – which makes a big difference for a family of four – but a quick check of website indicates you can also pre-register for free tickets – so that could also save you a dollar or two. (Though you may also have to factor in the cost of parking given Moore Park isn’t particularly close to any train links.)
My co-blogger Mandy and I will most certainly be there, soaking up the gluten-free vibes, sampling all the gluten free sweet treats, and quizzing stall attendees about the minutiae of their product ranges. So for those stuck out of town – and unable to attend – please send in any burning questions you may have for manufacturers or retailers and we will make sure the tough questions get asked! Read the rest of this entry »
Gluten free gnocchi
What on earth do you eat if you are gluten free and vegetarian?
Someone wrote in with this very question a few months ago and it gave me real pause for thought.
Once upon a time I was vegetarian and I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to eat meat free meals while also trying to avoid almost every carbohydrate (aside from potato and rice) that are generally on offer at cafes and restaurants.
And I’m not even going to venture a guess at what the dining options would be if you also had to give up yeast, soy or dairy – so for the moment lets just stick with gluten-free vegetarianism.
At least we live in a multicultural country. Mexican, Asian and Indian food are good options with their emphasis on corn, chickpea and rice-based foods. Read the rest of this entry »
found at Aldi
Price is always an issue when it comes to gluten free goods so it would be pretty great news if discount supermarket chain Aldi picked up some gluten free product lines in a serious way.
With this in mind I had a search around Aldi at Top Ryde last weekend but all I turned up were a couple of Freedom-brand cereals.
However the good news is that a friend of Lucy’s (my co-blogger) has had more luck. The products in the picture were found in an Aldi in Sydney’s inner west.
According to the person who found them, this gravy mix and tin of spagetti were the only gluten free products in the store – but the unique packaging of these products leads me to wonder if there may be more to come… Read the rest of this entry »
Lemon meringue pie has always had a strange magnetic pull on me.
When I heard that it was one of the specialties of the house at gluten free bakery, Healthy Feast in Sydney’s Leichardt, a visit was inevitable.
So last weekend I strapped the bicycles to the back of the car – the plan was to have a gluten free picnic in the park followed by some hardcore pedalling – and off we went.
You can see what we bought in the picture. The lamingtons and lemon meringue pies were amazing. The former tasted just like the gluten-based variety and the latter even better. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by glutenfr | Posted in Product reviews, bread, treats | Posted on 05-09-2010
One of the tough parts of being a blogger is reviewing products.
This week we were really put through our paces, chomping our way through a feast of bakery goods, this time dispatched our way from Melbourne bakery, Silly Yaks.
Baguettes, rolls, loaves (fruit and plain) pies (savoury and sweet), sausage and vege rolls, nocchi, quiche, pizza bases; I’ve tasted most of these things over the past seven days and I must say it has been rather a pleasure.
The whole family enjoyed the fruit loaf at breakfast time and the rolls and baguettes were handy to grab from the freezer when we needed them.
The tomato/chilli nocchi made a very nice lunch for two, and I also sneaked a yummy sausage roll when no-one was looking.
But the highlight had to be the pies – both large and little. They have tasty, tender pastry that contains a variety of ingredients such as rice, soy, tapioca and maize flour. Read the rest of this entry »
Melinda's Risotto cakes
My British heritage makes me partial to bit of stodge – but when you have to dodge wheat it’s not always so easy to get your hands on.
That is why I have taken note of a few new products that might find a warm welcome in my pantry.
Melinda’s – the packet mixes with the funky pink packaging in Woolworths Naytura section – have launched a couple of new products that we tried out over the weekend.
The first were Tuscan-style risotto cakes, and the other was lemon curd cupcakes.
My co-blogger Mandy sent some of her caramel cupcakes off to school for a cake day.
What we liked about these products was that they were very simple to put together. Instead of sacrificing flavour for simplicity, Melinda has put little sachets of yummy stuff that you add to the mixture at the last moment.
The risotto cakes have a lovely rich vege sauce that gives them the kick that that kind of food needs. Likewise the lemon curd cakes have a luscious lemon curd sachet and the caramel cupcakes came with a pouch of yummy caramel.
It’s a clever way of giving home made food a bit of extra zest without asking busy cooks to go stock up on obscure ingredients or spend precious time grating lemon rind. Read the rest of this entry »
As one of our Facebook followers commented, gluten free sweet treats are pretty easy to pull together at home. It is the creation of tasty savouries where new inspiration is most welcome.
For this reason, one of the highlights of the gluten free expo for me was the Diego’s stand. They make gluten free corn tortillas which are sold in Coles, IGA, BiLo and Foodland – and are also sold by Woolies under the Select brand.
But what was really great was that they were demonstrating were some brilliant new ways to use them. Though regretfully I did not get to their official cooking demo, I came away from their stall with two great new ideas to add to my arsenal of kid-friendly carbohydrates.
In the absence of specific instructions, I decided to put these to the test at home:
1. Yummy tortilla triangles:
They used a flat sandwich maker to make it. They sprayed the tortilla with oil, spread it with red pesto and added diced ham and cheese and folded it half. They then toasted it (the toasting irons need to touch to get the right effect). After it was cooked they sliced it into portions. Read the rest of this entry »
