A healthier brown sugar - it is possible!

Life without gluten is hard enough but so many times we add a lot of sugar to our gluten-free foods to make up for the taste. However, having too much sugar in your diet can cause a lot of inflammation in your body. Refined sugar is a highly inflammatory food and can really upset the balance your system tries to maintain. Inflammation in your food does not just affect your gut. If you've read some of my other posts - it affects other organs like your heart.

However, I have a sweet tooth and its demands must be met. So here is a little trick I want to share with you if you have a recipe that calls for brown sugar and you want to cut the calories and inflammatory factor WAY back.

Molasses + powdered Stevia + a little mixing = brown sugar!!

It's about a 1 tablespoon to 1 cup addition. If you have 1 cup of stevia then add 1 tablespoon of molasses. A little more than a tablespoon won't hurt but I started with a tablespoon and kept mixing until I got the brown sugar consistency that I liked. Sometimes powdered stevia can be very dry depending on the brand you are using. So, half a cup of stevia + 1/2 tablespoon of molasses will give you a half a cup of brown sugar and so on. 

I've used it in my sweet potato casserole, pecan pie and my berry crisp and not even my picky little sister could detect it! Try it and let me know what you think!

**Side note: This must be used fairly quickly. It doesn't do well if left out or made ahead of time. I always use it in the recipe I am making right away.  

November Product of the Month

When I found out that Pillsbury was coming out with their own #glutenfree line I was a little skeptical yet, I was also secretly really excited at the same time. It could mean some excellent new products for those of use with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerances. Pillsbury products were a favorite of mine when i ate gluten and even though I don't usually like to use too many processed products in my diet, its that time of year when pies, pastries, and all sorts of yummy warm food reigns. So, I felt it was my duty to at least buy and try the products once and let the community know what I thought.

I was excited to find their dough at the small Publix near my mom's house. If they were there, it means they are getting around. That store doesn't normally have the largest selection and before I post about something in the store I like to make sure others can find it. They had the cookie dough as well but that is for another post. At the Publix, these were nearly $5 but I did manage to find them at the Commissary on base in Charleston for less than $3. Also, a lot of people on my Facebook page told me that you could find them at some dollar stores on the eat coast (which is AWESOME!).

I used the pastry dough for my pecan pie and it turned out fabulous. My husband and father could barely tell the difference between a store bought Pillsbury pie pastry and this one. I will have to tell you though that the pastry dough is not soy-free. The first ingredient is Soybean oil and soy is one of the foods I react the quickest too. It gives me really bad stomach cramps (and other issues I won't detail) so I only worked with it with my hands and trusted my fussy (non-gluten free) dad and supportive husband to let me know their thoughts. They approved. So, for a quick gluten-free pastry dough during this busy season, try picking some up and feel free to let me know what your thoughts and experiences are! Happy Baking!

November Recipe of the Month

During the fall season, my husband loves pecan pie and sweet potato pie. While I have managed to conquer sweet potato pie, Pecan pie has always been a struggle for me. I have never been able to perfect the recipe. It usually burns on the top or ends up runny in the middle. Or I burn the crust or it tastes bad. I've made half a dozen and still never made the ideal pecan pie. Even when I started using the pre-made pillsbury pie dough that just rolls out I still had the first two issues I mentioned. My neighbor Margot always seems to have the best baked goods and I usually end up inviting her over to our parties and requesting her pecan pie because my husband loves it so much. She knows it too so don't think you can blackmail me with telling her!
However, since we moved recently, I was determined to not fail at this domestic challenge anymore. When I bought the new gluten-free Pillsbury pastry dough and looked at their website for a recipe to play with the new product, I stumbled across their pecan pie recipe. I decided to take a deep breath and accept the challenge. So while this recipe isn't my own and doesn't have any of my typical flair, it does work like a charm. Every. single. time!

Pillsbury Gluten-free Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1/2 container Pillsbury® Gluten Free refrigerated pie and pastry dough
  

Filling

• 2/3 cup sugar (I have used Stevia successfully)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (I use Earth Balance Soy-free)
• 1 cup corn syrup (I used light Karo)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pecan halves or broken pecans (sometimes I add an extra 1/3 of a cup because I like pecans)

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 375°F. Knead dough until softened and no longer crumbly. Flatten into a round; place between 2 sheets of cooking parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a round 1 1/2 inches larger than top of 9-inch pie plate.

2) Carefully peel off top sheet of paper. Replace paper to cover loosely; carefully turn dough over, and remove second sheet of paper. Use paper to carefully turn dough over into ungreased pie plate; remove paper. Press dough firmly against bottom and up side of plate. Flatten edge with fork or crimp for decorative edge.

3) In medium bowl, beat sugar, melted butter, corn syrup and eggs with whisk or hand beater until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust-lined pie plate. **Their recipe says to cover the edges of the crust with strips of foil but I cover the entire top with foil.

4) Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set, removing foil for last 15 minutes of bake time (I use a pie shell edge cover for this part as well because I fear burnt edges). 

5) Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. (Do NOT skip the refrigeration step!)

Serve with whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

October Recipe of the Month

October ushers in my husband's favorite time of year. He loves loves autumn and all that comes along with it. He likes the colors of the leaves changing, he likes the temperature trending lower, and one of his two favorite holidays happens this month. Since we have been married, I think his next favorite part of fall is the food that accompanies it. As soon as the pumpkins and other gourds start appearing at the grocery store, he starts bringing them home and asking me to make certain foods.

One that he never seems to be able to get enough is Sweet Potato Casserole. My mom makes it every year for our Thanksgiving feast but once my husband got a taste of it, it became a regular dish in the fall. (The way she makes it is actually more like a pie but since we don't use a crust we call it a casserole.)

I've managed to clean it up a bit and make it a little healthier but for those of you who are purists (like my husband), I'll give you both options for it.

MOM'S SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

•   2 eggs

•   1 cup granulated sugar (can substitute with Stevia)

•   1/4 cup butter, softened (I use Earth Balance)

•   1 teaspoon vanilla

•   1 teaspoon cinnamon

•   ½ teaspoon nutmeg

•   3 cups cooked mashed 
sweet potatoes

Topping:

•   1/2 cup brown sugar (brown sugar from stevia recipe here)

•   1/3 cup gluten-free flour of choice (for a healthier kick, I use a 50/50 mix of blanched almond flour and ground flax)

•   2 tablespoons butter, at room temp (Earth Balance again)

•   3/4 cup chopped pecans (sometimes I add more)

  Topping:

1) Bake sweet potatoes in oven at 400 degrees F for about an hour (depending on the thickness). I usually line a pan with foil, poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and then set them for an hour. When the sweet potatoes start to ooze from the holes then I know they are done. 

2) Allow sweet potatoes to cool to touch before peeling. You can turn the oven off during this time. 
**This step can be done ahead and the sweet potatoes can be refrigerated for later use. 

3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 2 quart casserole dish or two 8x8 square pans. 

4) In a large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, 3/4 cup butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and the mashed sweet potatoes with an electric mixer 
5) Spoon mix into dish(es) for baking and spread out evenly 
6) Combine brown sugar, flour, 2 tablespoons softened butter, and pecans, mixing until crumbly 
7) Sprinkle topping over sweet potatoes. 
8) Bake at 350° for 45 minutes

Another Gluten and Allergen Free Wellness Event Coming Soon!

I am honored to have the opportunity to attend this conference and speak with some other amazing gluten-free community members. You won't want to miss it! Click here for full details!

November 2, 2013 

10 am - 3 pm 

The Cook Hotel & Conference Center at LSU

3848 West Lakeshore Drive 

Baton Rouge, LA 70808 

REGISTRATION AVAILABLE ONLINE 

$10 per adult

Children under 13 are FREE to enter

Students of LSU may show student ID for 50% off admission

FREE PARKING

September Recipe of the Month

What's a berry crisp?

I first came upon the concept of a berry crisp while eating dinner in Atlanta with some pretty notable gluten-free chicks. Andrea, of Rocking Gluten-free, was in town visiting and decided to get a group together. Jennifer Harris, our local Atlantan gluten-free food blogger, was there as well as another familiar face in the Atlanta gfree community, Andrea Harrison (@arbharrisonjr). It's always a good time when a bunch of us get together and I was honored to be invited to the table.
Atlanta has a plethora of gluten-free friendly places and since I lived there for over a decade I thought I knew most of the places around me. However, I had never been to Double Zero Napoletana. It would not have been the first place I picked to eat because I tend to be a picky eater (I'm working on it) and usually stick to what I know. However, I am glad that I have some friends who are so much cooler than I am and have more refined tastes because I would've missed out on my greatest dessert recreation so far! So here it is -

The Sensational Berry Crisp!

Ingredients:

• 2 12 oz packages of frozen mixed berries (I like blackberries and strawberries but will occasionally throw in raspberries and blueberries. If you get strawberries, sliced works better than whole). Do not thaw berries - keep frozen.
• 1/4 cup sugar (I use stevia but organic or regular sugar works well too)
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour (I have used Gluten Free Pantry or King Arthur All Purpose with equal success)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (I prefer fresh but it won't hurt if you use bottled)

Topping:

• 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free and they work perfectly)
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar (if you want to use a stevia version for lower sugar content check out my brown sugar stevia recipe here)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour (I have used Gluten Free Pantry or King Arthur All Purpose with equal success)
• 7 tablespoons of chilled butter ( I use Earth Balance Soy-free version)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and lemon juice in a large bowl - toss well to blend.
2) Transfer the berry mixture to a 9-inch glass dish (can be a pie dish or a square Pyrex)
3) Combine the topping ingredients - 3/4 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss to blend evenly
4) Add the butter and dice into small pieces as you add it (make sure it is still chilled) because you are going to rub it into the topping with your fingertips or you can use a fork to mash it together into small clumps. Trust me, it works a lot better with chilled butter than room temp.
5) Once the topping is well-combined, sprinkle/spread over the berry mixture. Don't worry if it isn't coated entirely even because it will spread when baking.
6) Bake the crisp until the berries bubble on the sides of the glass and the topping is golden brown. This will take about one hour. Let it stand about 15-20 minutes at room temp before serving.

If you have any left, it refrigerates well for a few days (it never lasted longer than that in my house) and then you can heat it up later. Just place in a bowl - It will be slightly runny if warmed up in the microwave. but still tasty!

**Side note: I have tried this recipe in 5-6 individual rectangular ramekins (3" long) and it works better if you have 2- 16 oz bags of frozen berries and you make a little extra topping (about 1 1/2 the amount.) Baking time is about 30 minutes or until you see bubbling on the side of the ramekin.

August Recipe of the Month

Every now and then, you have a craving for something different. I had been craving Thai food lately and since my husband refuses to let me order from my local Thai place every night (something about costing too much money), I decided that maybe I should branch out and create a interesting cultural Thai dish in my own home. Except, I am a bit of a wuss, so I went to my favorite recipe website, Simply Recipes, and looked up some of their recipes for inspiration (particularly this one). I figured if it turned out that I didn't like the taste than at least it was someone else's fault and not my own, right? Well, I ended up with a dish that packs a lot of flavor and fed my hubby and I for several nights. It fulfilled my cravings and I felt a little more accomplished in the cooking department. (mental pat on the back for sure)
A great little bonus with this dish is that it is packed with antioxidants from all the seasonings and spices. So eat up and enjoy!

Basil Chicken in a Coconut Curry Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

• 1 large red onion, chopped 
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil (I used olive)
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk (canned is better than carton)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used about 1 tablespoon of dried basil and it tasted fine to me)
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (can be omitted - I have a love/hate relationship with ginger)

• Cooked brown rice (I'm really lazy and used the instant bags)

METHOD

1 In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder, and turmeric. Set aside.

2 Cut chicken into small (about 1-inch) pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

I placed the spices on the whole piece of chicken and cut it after because it was easier for me but you can do it either way

3 In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.

4 Add 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.

5 Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn starch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce. 

6 Add chicken mixture, basil, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.

Serve over rice.

ENJOY!

Yield: Serves 4