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 »

Back from another weekend away, and thanks to some handy self catering we managed not to fall of the gluten free wagon even once. Not knowingly at least.

Of course with kiddies in the car and a long stint on the freeway it becomes almost impossible to dodge the mighty Maccas when coming and going from our weekend hideaway – and we found ourselves driving through those golden arches on more than one occasion this weekend.

Gluten free food is not a traditional focus for hamburger restaurants, but the good thing with the big chains is that once you get to know their menu, you can at least have some type of assurances about what you are eating.

Lucky for us McDonalds french fries in Australia are officially gluten free (although it is worth noting that not all restaurant chips are) and we don’t seem to have any trouble with them at all.

And while McDonalds bricks & mortar is not the simplest place to hunt down gluten free info, the company has published fairly comprehensive food sensitivity charts, ingredients and nutritional information on its website. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever noticed that a meal usually tastes nicer when someone else has cooked it?

If you are grown up that is. If you happen to be a kid the formula works in reverse: the more involvement in food production, the more appetising the end result.

Now, given that gluten free carbs don’t always go down as easily as their gluteny counterparts, this tendency is well worth capitalising on.

I experienced this a few months back when the kids and I tried out a recipe for some gluten free biscuity things for the first time. Read the rest of this entry »

I think a lot about protein. It’s a sad admission I know, but hunting down tempting sources of this crucial food group not only eats up a lot of time but is also a source of angst when we are on the road.

You see we are not just gluten free. Our boy’s doctor says he must also avoid casein to maintain good health which makes him ‘GFCF’ and therefore unable to tolerate cheese, milk and yoghurt.

I admit we have the odd lapse. If we suspect there may be a little dairy in something we will often turn a blind eye when out on the road. But we draw the line at things like yoghurt pots and cheese sticks. The side effects are just too annoying for our poor little fella who gets a runny nose along with a bunch of other irritating symptoms.

So what do we do when we go out? We tried taking soy yoghurt pots but these seemed to have even more dramatic side effects, possibly from the food colouring or flavours added or even a reaction to soy. So now we just steer clear completely. Read the rest of this entry »

gluten free lunch

Its lunchtime, you’ve a hundred and one jobs to do, and the kids are divebombing the fridge and tap-dancing on the dining table.

We’ve all been there, and I will be the first to stand up and say that gluten free toast and baked beans have been my saviour on many an occasion.  But I have also learned a few other tricks for getting healthy meals on the table quickly and I’d like to share them with you here.

Frozen failsafes

My first line of defence is the freezer.  In it I keep little pots of mashed potato, boiled or fried rice and noodles, home-made sausage rolls, balls of home-made pizza dough, frozen home-made bread for sandwiches (we use shop bought for toast), and two types of pasta sauce – one based on bolognaise and the other tuna – which I freeze in icecube trays and then put into freezer bags.

I also keep a range of shop bought convenience foods like gluten free chicken nuggets and fish bites in there too as well as left over sausages, and cold chicken meat chopped and pressed flat in freezer wrap so I can break off little pieces easily to add to meals.

You will also find frozen gluten free cupcakes, soy icecream and ready made pastry in my freezer so you can just imagine how crowded its getting in there. If I had another gluten free child I have no doubt that I would need to move house just to sqeeze in a larger freezer.

Cupboard cuisine

My next line of defence is the kitchen cupboard, and mine is stuffed to the brim with every conceivable type of  gluten free cracker and savoury snack on the market (we rotate so we don’t get sick of having the same thing over and over). We also have vacuum packed commercial bread and rolls (from Schar which you can buy at Harris Farm and some IGAs) for travelling and emergencies.

We also stock lots of little tins of beans, corn and tuna, which make great additions to our dietary arsenal, and lots of fruit and jelly pots for taking out and about with us. GF marshmallows and lollypops are favourite treats but handed out sparingly.

Time to cook up (serve any of the following with as complete meal or accompaniement to favourite meats, veges, toast or crackers)

There is no limit to what I can put together quickly from the above ingredients, which means we can always have a balance of different food groups in any given meal. If you are wondering where the fresh vegies and fruit are – well we have those too – the fruit is handed out as a snack and the veg is generally included in fairly small pieces to our pasta sauces, noodle and rice meals or in the form of  raw vege sticks on the side of the plate.

So here are some of our lunchtime favourites:

Noodles (rice vermicelli) and veg

Cook noodles according to packet instructions and spread them flat in a drainer to dry out for a while. Chop your veges up fine (we use a cupful of combined leek, celery & carrot) and stir fry – keeping them nice and dry not stodgy and wet. You can also add a little chopped chicken or ham. Cut up the cooked noodles (we use scissors) and then start frying with some soy sauce and golden syrup (golden syrup or a little sugar can make it yummier but its optional). Make a double portion and freeze the rest. You can also add chicken or ham – or serve as sidedish to sausages or chicken breast nuggets.

Pasta

Cook up gluten free pasta from supermarket and add 5 ice tray cubes of sauce per cup of pasta. This is quite dry but kids seem to like it best this way. Sauce may be bolognaise left over from another meal (and frozen) or you can also make up a white sauce from gluten free flour, stock and milk (or alternatives) and add finely chopped veg, tuna or chicken.

Eeeesy fried rice

This is really simple and quick. Take out some leftover rice, put into frypan, add some soy sauce (and a little golden syrup or sugar for extra flavour) some grated carrot, a few frozen peas or small pieces of celery, and chopped chicken, ham or sausage. Simple and delicious. Can be a main meal – or served as sidedish to sausages or chicken breast nuggets.

Simple sausage rolls

Take cooked or partially cooked leftover sausages and roll carefully in gluten free puff pastry (which is better if it has been rolled out a little thinner than it comes in the packet).

If the sausage has a tough outer skin I slice the length and circumference  in several places  to make it easier for younger children to chew. (Puff pastry from Pastry Pantry used to be available from Coles in the gluten free freezer section – but they have stopped stocking it at least for the time being, so you may need to check their website for another supplier).

[UPDATE 01/04/11 - Have spotted it in my local Harris Farm]

I cook the entire roll as one as the pastry has a tendency to dry out as it cooks – and only chop them  once I take them out of the oven. These can be easily stored and reheated for a quick and easy lunch. Pies can be made with the shortcrust version of pastry using a slightly oiled muffin tray. Fillings could range from mince and gravy to the chicken/tuna and veg pasta sauce recipe above.

Gluten free pizza

Make a thin pizza base from a commercial mix (or use generic brand gluten free burritos from Woolies) and cover with anything you like (soy cheese like cheezly can replace dairy if required). Bake in oven till it looks cooked and base is not too hard. Slice and store in freezer for a later date.

Tuna beans/sweetcorn mash

I dont think I even need to write a description for this one as the title is self explanatory.  Same combo works nicely in a baked potato, and if tuna is unpopular you might like to draft in some of that ubiquitous bolognaise sauce instead!

But what of those days when you don’t have the time or the energy to get out those saucepans? Well there is always the bread in the freezer for making sandwiches or toast, and baked beans in the cupboard. Easy.

LH

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Eagle Boys gluten free pizza

I’ve just spent a week on holidays at the coast where the gluten free pickings in the local restaurants were very slim indeed.

From crumbed calimari rings to open chicken schnitzel sandwiches and beer battered chips, we were beseiged by wheat at every front from breakfast ’til bedtime.

Lucky for us, Eagle Boys Pizza have started offering gluten “friendly” takeaway pizzas which eased the relentless hunt and gathering expedition for a tasty gluten free bite.

Sceptical as I was about takeaway pizza (I generally find commercial bases stodgy and cardboard-like) Eagle Boys have created something decidedly delicious which even the non-gluten free in the household were more than happy to gobble up.

Dominos have also been selling gluten free pizzas since last November, so we decided to try out one of theirs too while we were away just to give our GFF readers the fullest picture.

You know what?  It was pretty good too.  And while I definitely preferred Eagle Boys, which was a little lighter on topping, my fussier half preferred the Dominos – so we can’t name a definitive victor in the taste stakes.

Recently Eagle Boys passed another important taste test: Lizzie, the 5 year old daughter of co-blogger, Mandy, is famous for picking the toppings off gluten free pizzas (both homemade and shopbought) and handing you back the base – but she stunned us all and ate three whole slices of an Eagle Boys ham and cheese pizza.

The Eagle Boys pizza was also quite a bit cheaper (though the pizzas were bought in different regions), and the company also says that nearly all of its toppings are gluten “friendly” (22 pizza choices) – a few more than Dominos which offers a range of 13 gluten free toppings.

“We’ve invested the time and resources to craft a base which is not only gluten-friendly but also tastes great and complements the fresh pizza toppings”, says Eagle Boys CEO Tod Clayton.

Eagle Boys also say they prepare their pizzas in a gluten free kitchen. [ED: Actually after rereading press release I have realised it is not a seperate kitchen at all so perhaps it is not such good news for those that must avoid trace fragments. Apparently calling it 'gluten friendly' rather than gluten free  acknowledges that pizzas may incur accidental cross contamination.]

I don’t think either pizza maker is yet able to claim a completely gluten free product, and on the basis that our household seems to be able tolerate the odd trace fragment of gluten, I think the Eagle Boys pizza gets my vote – for the time being at least.

LH

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FG Roberts vienna loaf

I’ve been baking. Again.

This time it is FG Roberts new gluten free bread mix which is the first free-standing loaf to come to market which does not require a bread tin, dough hooks or any other specialist bread making equipment.

The company says it has spent 15 years and created 800 loaves to nail this mixture which can be used to create high-top loaves, vienna style loaves (pictured right), pizza bases, baguettes, rolls and buns.

Now I have baked a few gluten free loaves in my time and for me the most important elements are taste, texture, simplicity, and longevity.  FG Roberts’ new mix certainly seems to satisfy some of these criteria, although I am yet to determine how long a slice of its bread stays fresh throughout the day for those all-important school lunch boxes.

Getting down to business, the instructions on the pack talk you through the creation of free-standing loaves and a sticker added to the pack (presumably after printing) delivers instructions for adapting it to a loaf tin. It also suggests cooking times for rolls but there is no guidance on making pizza bases or using bread makers.

The loaf itself proved fairly straightforward to make, aside from the fact that my kitchen scales are not especially accurate which made it difficult for me to measure out the correct quantity of dry mix. The packet is large and contains enough flour to make a few loaves.

You add oil, vinegar and yeast powder to the water and then mix it by hand after the dry ingredients are added. From there it can be molded into a loaf shape or put into a loaf tin, given time to rise and then baked in the oven.  This is a fairly long process with rising taking anything from 40 minutes to an hour, and baking takes the same amount of time again.  FG Roberts has created a handy video should you have trouble visualising their instructions.

My loaf didn’t quite turn out as picture perfect as the one pictured here from their website. I definitely need a new set of scales because my loaf was a touch more solid than the ideal loaf of bread – but it was still a lovely sight to behold . . . my first free standing loaf. It also tasted quite delicious hot out of the oven. All in all it was a handsome, crusty loaf which I have sliced and frozen.

I am yet to test how long the slices stay bouncy once defrosted but I am excited by this mix, and I want to bake another free standing loaf as soon as I can get my hands on a high tech set of scales.

The mix is not yet available in my local Coles and the FG Roberts website does not give specific details on where you can buy it but they do say many of their products are available in health food stores. I have emailed them for more information on distributors which I will add here. [ED: FG Roberts say they are setting up an ecommere site which will be up and running in a few weeks – in the meantime the mix can be ordered from their warehouse in 1kg ($9.95), 5kg ($44.50) and 12kg ($106.25) quantities. They also expect it to start appearing in supermarkets soon.

This promising mix will almost certainly find a permanent home in my pantry once I know how to get my hands on it.

LH

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gluten free camping

Q: how many times in a row can I get my kids to eat baked beans before they throw the tin at me?

A: not sure but I plan to find out in the next few days.

Why would I inflict baked bean torture on my own flesh and blood I hear you ask? Because we are going camping for four days over Easter at Gerroa on the south coast of NSW.

Campsite staples like sausage sandwiches and ham rolls are now out of bounds for us and the usual replacements like spuds, rice and gluten free pasta don’t do so well on the barbie.

Meanwhile every single gluten free cracker on the market is inedible apparently, and I’ve been told in no uncertain terms what I can do with my bananas.

So baked beans it is.

MB

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Another gluten-free alternative

We spend a lot of time contemplating the issue of cooking up for kids here on GFF, but what about we grownups who need to avoid gluten in our diets?

Most cafes these days stock something delicious that we can have with our coffee, and many restaurants have also taken to offering gluten free permutations of important staples like bread and pizzas. But it all comes unstuck when I am looking for a quick lunch bite from my cupboards at home or in my work caffeteria.

The home problem could easily be solved if I was prepared to eat my own home made gluten free bread – but it takes such an effort to make it each week, I save it for child use only, and try to find some alternative for myself.  Bit pathetic really isnt it?

One way around this is to make a larger amount of dinner the night before so I can finish it off for lunch – but in these hectic times it doesn’t always work out that way.

Then there is the problem of the work cafeteria. Steak sandwich or salmon wrap anyone?  You will generally find me hovering around the counter that sometimes sells sushi, trying desperately to avoid the gaze of pies, sausage rolls and croissants in the bakery section. And please no-one mention hot chips (gluten free but hideously fattening).

My life saver has become soup. Not home made I will admit – though it easily could be if I were given to making and freezing soup. No I have found a few brands of soups in the supermarket which are quite tasty. LaGina does a nice range called La Zuppa of all natural, vegan and gluten free soups, and for those lazy days Orgran also has a few more instant-style packets. I noticed at the last gluten free expo that one of the mainstream cuppa soup makers had also introduced a gluten free strain that was quite tasty.

Throw in a few of your favourite GF crackers and you are well on your way to a quick, healthy meal.

LH

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It was a nervous start to the school year (or pre-school year in our case) as I tried out a variety of gluten and dairy free lunches for my food intolerant toddler.

I have been making his lunches for over a year now but these have been meals like bolognaise or pizza that were just warmed up and served at his daycare. This year we must adapt to packed lunches.

Because these are served up at their little tables, I still get a little more latitude than we will have in kindy, but my biggest hurdle is that whatever I send him in with must taste nice cold.

So far we have had success with a fairly dry Tuna pasta with sweetcorn, and fried rice is popular too, but to my disappointment I have had my sandwiches, sausage rolls, and cold pizza all rejected.

I have been slipping a little dessert into his satchel each day just to hedge my bets in case he doesn’t like his main course – but because the kids are expected to help themselves to their own lunch, I am beginning to suspect he has been eating his lunch in reverse order (it makes perfect sense to get the yummy stuff out of the way first after all) so I guess I am going to have to rethink it all.

They are also encouraged to bring along cupcakes for their birthdays and because he has around 30 kids in his class I reckon he will need a cupcake at least once a fortnight – so of course I must provide a little batch that can be frozen for use at school so he doesn’t feel left out.

So the challenge is on to find a yummy cup cake that tastes nice not just when it is cooked but also when it is defrosted (without the aid of a microwave to restore its sponginess.)

My habitual port of call for all things cakey was Orgran muffin mix, but while these regain their form beautifully when whizzed for a few seconds in the microwave, I was not so confident of the outcome without this vital step.

It must have been synchronicity then that a friend of mine recently lent me the Babycakes recipe book which is chocker-block full of delicious sounding muffins and cakes that are all dairy and gluten (mostly) free.

Babycakes is in fact a gluten-free, vegan cake shop that has turned thousands of heads in the US (first in New York and now LA) for its delicious, moist produce. The recipe book was launched to help us recreate the joy at home, but unfortunately a number of the listed ingredients are not readily available here.

They include a ready-made flour from Bob’s Red Mill which includes chickpea and fava bean flour. ( They do ship abroad but I doubt its cheap.) Many of the recipes also ask for things like coconut oil (expensive), dry soy milk powder (expensive), agave nectar (expensive) as well as arrowroot, xanthum gum, potato starch, brown rice flour, and the list goes on. Fortunately some of these can be substited for cheaper or easier to find ingredients but many cannot.

I have made it my mission for the past few weeks to hunt down these ingredients and now I have the full complement, I think I am almost ready to start baking. If they prove successful, I will be jubilant, as I had begun to fear delicious casein and gluten free baked goods were just a fantasy.

It may have cost me an arm and a leg, but I hope to have some really awesome cakes in the pre-school freezer by this time next week.

LH

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