Gluten Free Spring Rolls

When I came across this recipe at Use Real Butter, I knew I had to try it. These gluten free spring rolls are a combination of fresh ingredients wrapped in a tapioca spring roll wrapper, and accompanied with a peanut dipping sauce. The flavors and textures in the spring rolls are incredible. Aside from a little prep work up front, spring rolls are an easy meal to make. Use any fillings you like. I used: lettuce, red bell pepper, jicama, and cucumber.

On this plate; cilantro, scallions, mung bean sprouts, basil

I also added shrimp and chicken. I marinated the shrimp using the following marinade:
juice from 2 limes
2 Tbs brown sugar
4 Tbs fish sauce
2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
1-1/2 tsp chili paste
Marinade for about an hour before grilling

To make your spring roll; fill a shallow dish with warm water, place the tapioca wrapper in the water until it becomes soft and pliable, (about 10-20 seconds) pile on the filling.

Roll the wrapper tight, similar to making a burrito.

Slice and dip in soy- peanut sauce:
Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup GF soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 Tbs rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic (pressed)
1 tsp chili paste
warm water
Mix all ingredients thoroughly, add just enough water to achieve the desired consistency.

Eat and Enjoy!!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix

I've been thinking a lot about local products lately. It amazes me how many products or services are right in my backyard. Bob's Red Mill is just on the other side of Portland and several local restaurants are adding gluten free items to their menus. In fact, I can't believe it's taken me this long to let you in on a local product that my wife and I discovered years ago. Laurel Hutton runs a gluten free business called Laurel's Sweet Treats. I first met Laurel around 2001. At that time she was selling gluten free cakes and cupcakes out of her home in a neighboring Portland suburb. In fact, she even made a small gluten free wedding cake for my wife to eat at our reception. Laurel has since moved her business out of her home and has branched out to selling prepackaged mixes in several stores around the Portland area, including New Seasons Markets. Laurel's Sweet Treats are also available for purchase online. One of mine and my wife's absolute favorite mixes from Laurel's Sweet Treats is her Mom's Chocolate Cake mix. Simply add some eggs and oil, mix and bake. We use Pillsbury Vanilla frosting to top it off. The mix makes a 9x13 cake, which is perfect for my wife and I to split. Ok, Ok, maybe we don't split a 9x13 cake in one sitting. But seriously, this is an incredible cake that doesn't last long. The best part is the convenience of having a great mix available when you don't feel like making something from scratch. If you're not in the Portland area, check out Laurel's Sweet Treats online. There are several mixes available and you can't go wrong with any of them.

What local products, gluten free or not, do you have nearby? Let me know.

Gluten Free Onion Rings

It's a great time of year. There are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available at local farmers markets and road side stands. While I enjoy eating the fresh fruits and veggies, one particular vegetable just begs to be coated in batter and thrown into some hot oil. Walla Walla Sweet Onions are known well beyond the Northwest for their amazing flavor. Walla Walla Sweet Onions got their start over a century ago when a French soldier brought Italian sweet onion seeds to the Walla Walla Valley in Washington State. Today, my particular Walla Walla's end up as tasty gluten free onion rings. As I searched for the proper recipe, I realized that there are as many onion ring recipes as there are stars in the sky. I took a combination of recipes and mixed and matched them. Here's what I came up with:

Start by cutting some thick rings of Walla Walla or any other sweet onion.

Soak the raw onion rings in buttermilk for at least an hour.

Mix together about 1 cup of gluten free flour mix, seasoned with 1 tsp salt and any other spices you like. Shake off excess buttermilk and dredge the onion through the flour.

Next, dunk the ring in batter:

1-1/4 cup gluten free flour mix

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

mix together thoroughly

Send the battered ring for a dip in a pool of canola oil heated to 350-375 degrees F until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.

Drain and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Enjoy!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We're all set to watch the parade!

Have a happy and safe 4th!!!

Breakfast for Dinner

For this week's breakfast themed What's for Dinner? Wednesday I made omelettes. I have only tried to make omelettes once or twice in the past and the results were not that good. It was either too runny, overcooked, or it stuck to the pan. Recently though, I stumbled across a technique that made all the difference for me. The possibilities for omelette fillings are infinite. Here's how I made them:

Prep all your vegetables, meat, and cheese. I used red and green bell peppers, spinach, bacon, green and white onions, and extra sharp cheese.

In a small bowl, combine 3 eggs, 2 tbs of milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper together. Mix well with a fork. Next use 1 Tbs of oil or butter to grease a 10" pan. Turn on the oven broiler set to high. Pour eggs into the pan and swirl around until the bottom of the pan is covered. Cook on the stove top over medium heat. Don't stir the eggs but tip the pan up after a few minutes to check the eggs, they should be cooked on the bottom and a bit runny on top. At this point, add all the filling ingredients you want. Remove the pan from the stove top and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Remove from the oven and fold onto a plate. Top with a little extra cheese and serve with hash browns. Quick and easy. Enjoy!!!

Gluten Free Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

My wife and I made a trip to Whole Foods recently. While we were grabbing all of our usual gluten free items, we noticed a new gf tortilla. The Sonoma Gluten Free Wraps are made from dark teff. To be honest, I'm not sure I've eaten teff before so I was interested in trying them out. The Sonoma line of products comes from the La Tortilla Factory brand based in Santa Rosa, California.
I decided to test drive these teff wraps by making Caesar salad wraps, minus the croutons.
I was surprised at how close the taste and texture of these gf wraps were to regular flour tortillas. Unlike other gluten free tortillas, the Sonoma wraps were pliable and easy to roll up without splitting. The taste was very good and combined well with the Caesar salad filling. These wraps will be my tortilla of choice in the future. Give them a try if you get the chance. Enjoy!!!

Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins

In an effort to take my blog to the next level, I invited a guest photographer to help me add more of an artistic look to my cooking for this post. With the exception of the picture above and the last picture, my three and a half year old daughter took all the photos for this post. We are still working on not having our fingers in front of the lens. Although, the red blur does add some unique flair to the pictures. It saddens me a little that my daughter's pictures rival the ones I take.

Quick breads and muffins are one of my favorite gluten free treats. The texture and flavor are very close to their glutinous counterparts. Lately, it seems like my family can't eat bananas fast enough before they turn brown. As a result, I've been making banana bars, bread, and muffins more frequently.

Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins:
adapted from Joy of Baking:
1-3/4 cups GF flour mix
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 -3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (more or less as desired)
2 large eggs
1 stick butter (melted)
3 bananas (large and very ripe)
1 tsp vanilla
Pecan halves
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Start by mashing bananas. Next add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl; gf flour, white and brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients. After mixing thoroughly, stir in chocolate chips.

Spray or line a muffin pan and fill with batter. Top each muffin with a pecan half.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

(My artistic consultant)

Allow just enough time to cool, then stuff one in your mouth.
Enjoy!!!