Cali'flour Kitchen Eggs in a Basket #AbramsDinnerParty

As part of the Abrams Dinner Party, I've been getting a ton of cookbooks published by Abrams Books. This time around the book was Cali'flour Kitchen.

Cauliflower has gotten trendy these days, thanks in part to the low-carb movement using cauliflower to make pizza crust. I never tried that particular delicacy, but when I got the book Cali'flour Kitchen by Amy Lacey, I figured I'd be making some of that crust.

But then ... they also offered some of their pre-made crusts, so I just moved on to using them rather than making them. Easy peasy.

The book isn't ALL about the crusts, though - there are recipes for using cauliflower in all kinds of recipes, including soup, mashed cauliflower, buffalo cauliflower ... there are recipes for making and using cauliflower rice, and for using cauliflower in pretty much every was imaginable ... and some ways that I might not have imagined.

So, anyway, the pizza crusts arrived, I had no other plans for dinner, and I browsed the book to see what recipes I could make with what I had on hand.

First, I decided to try avocado toast because I happened to have avocado on hand. They had a pretty long list of variations, and like most avocado toast it starts with smearing mashed avocado on the toast. Or in this case, on the cauliflower pizza crust. The caprese version had tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. I didn't have fresh basil, so I left that off. Another version had salsa.

I don't know that I'd ever consider combining avocado and cauliflower on a normal day, but I figured I'd give this a try, and it was certainly interesting. To be totally honest, I think I'd prefer regular toast, but then again I don't have issues with wheat flour. For folks who can't have wheat, these recipes - and the pre-made crusts - are a great option.

Next up, I tried the eggs in a basket, which were pretty familiar. Basically, you cut a round hole where you want the egg to nestle, then cook the egg and crust together in a skillet along with some cheese. You almost don't need a recipe for this, considering it's so simply, but since you'd be working with a cauliflower crust rather than bread, it's nice to have the tips for working for the crust.

After trying both recipes, I have to say that the eggs in a basket inspired me a bit more, because I happen to like the flavor of cauliflower and cheese together. I think it would be awesome with some roasted red peppers.

If you're going low carb or you need to stay away from gluten - and if you like cauliflower a lot, I think you'll enjoy this book. But that's not all. Every recipe indicates whether it's gluten free, grain free, paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, or dairy free.

Oddly, I'm none of those, but there are still a bunch of recipes that sound pretty interesting. Hello, cauliflower ... nice to eat ya!

Yes, I did get the book at crusts at no cost to me.

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Gluten-Free Labeling - yea or nay?

This bread is not gluten free. Nope. Not at all.

There's been a backlash against the gluten-free community lately, particularly regarding the labeling of foodstuffs as gluten-free.

Let's get this straight. I'm not gluten free. I'm more of a gluten glutton, if we're being truthful. But I have friends who are gluten free. Some, because it's life-threatening. So I get it. I sympathize. And I hope I never, ever have that diagnosis.

While the usual grumblings about gluten-free are about the folk who are vaguely gluten free but don't know why, the latest rash of gluten-grumblings has been aimed all over the place. Among other things I've heard lately are:

• Why are so many products labeled gluten free? Shouldn't it be obvious?
• Why are so many products labeled gluten free? Those people should read ingredients on the labels!
• Gluten-free labeling is just a marketing ploy!!!
• Why do gluten-free oats cost more? It's not fair because I don't need gluten free!
• Why are there so many gluten-free products taking the space of food I want to eat?
• Why should restaurants accommodate gluten-free people? Gluten free people should stay home!
• Gluten-free people shouldn't be eating processed foods and junk food, anyway.
• Gluten free people should make their own food from scratch so they know every molecule that's in it.

Let me address these one at a time.

Labels? Shouldn't it be obvious?

Well, maybe. But the problem is that many foods suffer from cross contamination. If a factory processes potato chips in the same facility where it makes pita chips, there could be an above-the-limit level of gluten on those potato chips, even though potatoes don't contain gluten.

Those people should read labels!

I'm pretty sure they do, but ingredients listed on the labels only indicate the things that are actually put into the food. The labels might not indicate that the food is processed in a facility that also processes wheat products. Some labels do include allergy warnings, but not all of them do.

Making it obvious that something is indeed gluten free is a convenience for gluten-free people and those who feed them.

Marketing ploy!!!

Marketing! It's my book! On AMAZON!

Yes, I agree. But then again, pretty much everything on a food container is a marketing ploy, from the colors of the labels, to the shape of the container, to the words used. Gluten-free is a big market, and companies are making it clear that they have products for that market.

I mean, why wouldn't they?

There are plenty of items that are labeled fat-free, sugar-free, lower calorie, hormone-free, reduced sodium, antibiotic-free, nitrite-free, or dairy-free. There are companies that put the number of Weight Watcher points on their labels. There are plenty of products that carry symbols indicating that the products are kosher.

We label milk to point out that it's pasteurized (or possibly ultra-pasteurized) and we label foods as organic, cage-free, wild-caught, natural, or free range. We now show the country of origin for meats, and some stores indicate the country of origin for fruits and vegetables. And now, people are asking that foods be labeled to indicate the presence of GMOs.

So, why are some people getting so ... vocal ... about gluten free labeling?

The presence of gluten is a serious issue for people with celiac disease. Which of those other labels carries the same heath impact?

Gluten free costs more!!!

Yes, sometimes gluten-free anything does cost more. In order to keep certain foods gluten free, some companies had to build (or maybe remodel) facilities in order to keep the gluten free processing separate from any gluten-containing products. Depending on what they're processing, that need for separateness might include putting restrictions on their suppliers or shippers, and that might also cost more.

Some gluten-free products shouldn't cost more. If something is naturally gluten free and it's already processed in its own facility, then there shouldn't be an added cost for labeling it gluten free. Unless, of course, the company is paying for certification. But from what I understand, that's not actually required.

So, yes, sometimes it costs more, and there's a reason. Sometimes it costs more because companies are taking advantage of the market.

My space!!! My space!!!

Maybe there are gluten-free products that are taking the place of conventional products. But not always. There are gluten free flours and meals (like rice flour or almond meal, off the top of my head) that are sometimes displayed in a separate gluten-free section, but those have been available for quite some time and they have uses besides gluten-free cooking.

On the other hand, there are gluten-free baked goods and mixes taking up some shelf space that could be used for gluten-laden products. But there are plenty of things in every store that I don't buy. A few more is no big deal.

Gluten free people shouldn't eat out!!!

Um, why? Vegetarians, vegans, and people who keep kosher eat out. People who are allergic to shellfish or peanuts eat out. People who don't like spicy foods, or fast food, or fried foods ... they all eat out.

People who are seriously affected by gluten need to be careful of what they eat and where they eat, but I don't see how having gluten free items in a restaurant harms me in any way. There are plenty of things that are naturally gluten free, like, oh, let's say meat. Or salad (without croutons). Or vegetables. If a restaurant is willing to pay attention to cross contamination to accommodate gluten-free customers, it doesn't affect my dining experience one little bit.

No junk food!

Well, we should all reduce our consumption of junk food, but I'm not perfect. And I doubt my gluten-free friends are perfect either. I see no reason why they shouldn't have safe snacks. Simple as that.

Make everything from scratch!!!

Yeah, right. Remember that part about not being perfect? It would be lovely if every person had the means, motivation, skills, desire ... whatever it takes ... to make their own food from scratch every single day. Maybe there's someone out there who does that right now. But have they always done so? Will they always be able to do so?

While cooking from scratch all the time is a great thing to aspire to, it may not always be practical - or possible. I don't see how it hurts anyone to accommodate the growing population of people who have to - or even want to - eat gluten free.

THE BOTTOM LINE

My gluten-free friends aren't mutant aliens that should be hidden in a closet and not allowed to eat among the rest of us. And, let's face it, sometimes it's just one person in a family who is gluten-free. Should the rest of the family go out to dinner and leave mom at home? Or always leave one kid at home when you go visit relatives during the holidays? Or bring mom or the kid, but don't let them eat anything except some carrots and hummus you brought from home?

This about this: while the folks who are gluten-free tend to know what they can and can't eat, what happens when the gluten-free child is invited to a friend's house for a play date? Should mom trust everyone else to know what's safe to cook? Or should the child never visit anyone else's home?

Heck, what happens if a gluten-free person comes to my house? With as much flour that flies around here, cross-contamination is a real risk. For a dinner event, I'd clean and scrub and de-gluten my kitchen as much as possible to make it safe to grill some meat and roast some vegetables.

But if a neighbor dropped by unexpectedly with a gluten-free friend in tow, I'd be a LOT happier opening a fresh bag of gluten-free corn chips and a couple of containers of gluten-free dips, because I would know for sure that those products were safe. Pretty much anything else in my kitchen might have suffered cross-contamination - and that includes the block of cheese or the home made salsa.

Are you looking for some awesome gluten-free recipes and gluten free blogs? Try these:

Boulder Locavore
Creative Cooking Gluten Free
Gluten Free Baking
Elana's Pantry
Art of Gluten Free Baking
Recipe Renovator
Gluten Free Doctor
Gluten Free Girl
Fearless Dining
The Fit Habit
Liz the Chef
Jeanette's Healthy Living
Erin Brighton
FrannyCakes

Blinded by the Bite

Whisk and Cleaver

This Mama Cooks on a Diet
Simple Gourmet
Whisk and Cleaver
Happy Gluten Free
This American Bite

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Fast and Easy (and Delicious) #SuperFresh™ Seafood

Thank you to Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ for sponsoring this article. Find the new Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ entrées in your area by visiting: http://bumblebeesuperfresh.com/buy

I've heard so many people say that seafood is best "right off the boat." Those people live near coastlines. I live near mountains. Far from any coast. But the absolute next-best thing is properly prepared and frozen seafood. And in some cases, it's the best option, even if you live sorta-near a coast.

I mean, fresh fish (or shellfish) doesn't stay fresh all that long, so unless you're building a bonfire on the beach to cook what was just caught, your fish is losing freshness every minute that ticks away.

Bringing fresh fish home from the store and chucking it in the refrigerator to cook the next day doesn't help it one little bit.

Commercial freezing technology has improved so much since the olden days when freezing was a terrible thing to do to any food. So, yeah, frozen seafood is pretty darned good these days.

So when the nice folks at Bumble Bee® offered to send me a variety of their new Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ entrees, for sure I wanted to give them a try. Because not only are these properly frozen, they're complete fish recipes.

Can I be brutally honest here? Fish is one of my top "I need something fast that I don't have to think about" dinners. It cooks so fast, and you can cook it from its frozen state. So no need to think about it too far in advance.

The downside to using fish as my last-minute meal is that I'm not at my most creative right about then. So I grab whatever seasoning looks good, maybe some lemon. And it is what it is. It's good enough, but it's not the best I could do if I thought about it for a while.

That's where these Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ entrees really shine, because the thinking part is all done. Seasoning is done. You just follow some simple directions and you have a danged good dinner.

Which gives you a little time to think about a side dish or relax with a cocktail.

Did I say cocktail? We'll get to that in a minute.

But first a side dish that pairs well with just about any fish dish you can imagine. It's lightly lemony, freshly herby, with color and texture and vegetables. What more could you ask for? I paired it with the Spicy Shrimp Romesco for dinner.

One more confession? My number one side dish with fish is rice. It's simple. I can throw it in my rice cooker. And then I have white rice to go with my seafood. It's not the prettiest plate in the world.

Since I didn't have to fuss much with the entree, I whipped up a colorful pasta side using tri-color orzo and some bright vegetables. It's like edible confetti.

If you can't find tri-color orzo, regular orzo is fine. The one I used had white(ish), light salmony-orange, and pastel army-green pasta. I've seen some at the farmer's market with more brilliantly-colored pasta that would be even more interesting.

Confetti Orzo

1 cup tri-color orzo
2 ears fresh corn
1/2 medium onion
1 red bell pepper*
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives

Cook the orzo in boiling salted water until al dente, then drain. You can do this ahead of time and rinse with cold water to keep it from sticking.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Cut the corn from the cobs and discard the cobs. Dice the onion into pieces about the same size as the corn. Core the bell pepper and dice into pieces about the same size as the corn.

Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring as needed, until it begins to soften and become translucent. Add the salt, pepper, bell pepper, and corn. Cook, stirring as needed, until the bell pepper barely begins to soften.

Add the cooked pasta, and stir to combine. Add the lemon juice and chives, give it another stir, and take it off the heat. Serve hot.

*I used parts of several peppers - red, orange, and yellow - for more color. You can use one pepper, if you prefer.

Cocktail Time!

Moscoto wine is becoming one of my favorites. It's not super-sweet, but sweet enough. I particularly like the sparkling versions. They seem so festive. And it's inexpensive enough that you can mix it with fruit juices or use it in cocktail recipes without feeling like you're ruining a fancy varietal wine.

In this case, I decided to do a play off the mimosa, made with champagne. Or even a bellini, made with prosecco. The idea is the same - sparkling wine and fruit juice. The moscato wine is light and fresh and easy to drink (and perfect for summer). and the citrus is always a good match for seafood.

Moscato Mimosa

Orange-pineapple juice, cold
Moscato wine (sparkling preferred), cold
Maraschino cherry (optional)

Fill your favorite sparking-wine drinking glass about 1/4 full with juice. Top with the wine. Add the cherry, if you like.

Serve.

If you prefer, you can change the ratio to 50-50, or even use 3/4 juice and 1/4 wine. It's up to you. And that cherry? Completely optional.

And NOW for something fishy!

But you're getting no recipe. Because these entrees really are complete out of the package. The fish entrees slide into parchment bags to cook en papillote in the oven for about 20 minutes (more or less, depending on the variety) and can be served in the parchment or removed for plating.

The shrimp cook in just a few minutes (about six minutes, total) on the stovetop.

The funniest thing was my husband's reaction to the first entree I served - the tilapia with garlic. He was surprised when I told him that I didn't add anything at all to the fish - that it came with the seasoning and it tasted so typically like something I would make and serve - even to company.

I was surprised how fresh the basil tasted when we sampled the salmon with garden pesto. I'm betting most folks wouldn't realize that it was frozen along with the fish. Really impressive.

Even better, the ingredient list on the entrees are devoid of chemicals, preservatives, or things that I wouldn't have in my own pantry. Nothing scary or weird. Just normal stuff. If you're concerned about the sustainability of the fisheries your seafood comes from, the Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ seafood is certified by third-party certifying organizations. Well, okay then.

The ingredients for the Spicy Shrimp Romesco are shrimp, butter, vine-ripened tomatoes, red wine vinegar, tomato powder, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, garlic, shallots, cayenne pepper, parsley, red pepper, and sea salt. See, perfectly normal stuff!

It was pretty simple to cook, just toss it in a nonstick pan, turn on the heat, cook for four minutes, then drain the liquid and add the flavored butter. When the butter was melted - two minutes more - it was done.

I haven't tried all of the entrees yes, but I've been really pleased with the ones I have sampled. I still have salmon with garlicky black pepper and extra virgin olive oil; tilapia with lemon, pepper, and herbs; and lemon shrimp with garlic and herbs.

For sure I'll be looking for these at the local stores when I've finished them off, so I have on hand for quick and easy meals.

Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ gave me free product and said they'd pay me to blog about it IF I liked it. I do!

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Dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, Tastes Like Chocolate Ice Cream #SundaySupper

People say that baking is science and cooking is art, because for baked goods to turn out correctly, you need the right ratios of ingredients. Too much or to little of something can lead to baking disaster.

Ice cream is sort of the same way. You need the right mix to get the right consistency. There's a a continuum of frozen confection consistencies starting with ice cubes and continuing through shaved ice, granitas, Popsicles, sorbets, sherbets, frozen yogurt, and ending somewhere around the gelato/super-premium ice cream realm.

I've had people ask my why my ice cream is so smooth where other home made ice creams they've eaten that were made by other friends are more icy and seem "thin."

Well, that's because you need enough fat and sugar. If you eliminate or cut down on those, the texture is different. Think of the difference between biting into a block of ice and biting into a Popsicle. And the difference between sorbet and ice cream. It's all about the fat (usually butterfat from dairy products) and the sugar. Salt and alcohol can play minor roles, as well.

So when I challenged myself to make a dairy-free "ice cream," I knew it would be a challenge. Without butterfat, I knew I needed to add fat of some sort, or add something to thicken the mixture to get the same effect.

But then I heaped even more challenge on by eliminating soy and eggs, both of which could have been useful in getting that needed texture.

My first attempt was very tasty, but closer to a sorbet or sherbet, with a somewhat crumbly texture.

I knew I needed to find some way to thicken the base mixture, and I tried all sorts of crazy things in attempts two through too-many. Some weren't too bad. Some were disasters. Somewhere in the middle of the madness, I decided to add a banana to the mix, which did help to thicken it. But the resulting product tasted like banana. I wanted chocolate. Not choco-nana.

I was getting closer to what I wanted with each try, but I was pretty far from my ultimate goal. And I was starting to feel more like a mad scientist than a cook. That's fine if I'm playing with my molecular gastronomy toys. But I just wanted a frozen ice-cream-like dessert.

So, I went to the store and wandered around a bit. I found an almond-based yogurt that looked promising, but there was only one tiny container of the plain yogurt and it was ridiculously expensive. And I had no idea what it would taste like.

I wandered some more. Tapioca? Gelatin? Well, maybe. Then I spotted the puddings. My "cheater" ice cream recipe uses French vanilla instant pudding to create a custard-like ice cream base. But what's in instant pudding?

I read the label. No milk listed. No soy or eggs listed. Hmmmm. No wheat or gluten. So I grabbed a pack and headed home and made a phone call to the company. The only un-named ingredients on the label were the flavorings, but they assured me that if the flavors included allergens of any kind, they'd be listed specifically.

They confirmed that soy, milk, eggs, and gluten were not included ingredients, but that the pudding was not made in its own facility. So if your allergies or sensitivities are so severe that you need to worry about cross-contamination in a manufacturing facility, you might want to look for other instant pudding products that are made in their own "whatever-free" facilities.

The texture of the final "ice cream" was a lot closer to regular ice cream, despite the fact that I didn't work any extra fat into the mixture. The thickening effect of the pudding mix gave it the same thick feeling that dairy fat provides and it was super-chocolatey. Super-super chocolatey. Dark and rich and fudgy.

Pretty awesome, really. *pats self on back*

I'm calling this one a big success.

As best I can tell, all the ingredients I used are free of dairy, soy, eggs, and gluten, but if you have allergies or sensitivities, check for yourself. The Silk product clearly states that it's free of all these allergens. I called the Jell-O allergy line and confirmed that the instant pudding I used was free of dairy, soy, eggs, and gluten, but they noted that it is not manufactured in its own facility, so there is a chance of cross contamination, so keep that in mind. The Pinnacle vodka listed "artificial flavors" and did not list milk. You can eliminate this entirely, use vanilla extract instead, or choose another alcohol that you like. If you wanted to highlight the almond flavor, 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract would be good.

Tastes Like Chocolate Sorbet

1 1/2 cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Pinnacle Whipped Vodka*
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. (If the mixture needs to be fully chilled before churning, heed that direction, or this could end up a little too icy.)

Transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm.

*Or you can use a plain vodka or other flavor that you think would be compatible with the chocolate.

Tastes Like Chocolate Ice Cream

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package Jell-O chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
2 1/2 cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Pinnacle Whipped Vodka

Combine the sugar, salt, and pudding mix in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add the almond milk and stir or whisk until the sugar is melted and the mix is smooth, with no lumps. It will thicken a bit. Add the vodka and stir in.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. If your ice cream maker requires that the mixture is fully-chilled before churning, refrigerate, as required. An hour should be sufficient, since the almond milk was already cold.

If the mixture has thickened more during refrigeration, whisk it before churning.

After churning, transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm.

Want more "-free" recipes?

Check out what the other Sunday Supper participants made this week!

Breakfast
Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut & Soy Free Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding by girlichef
Dairy & Nut and Sugar Free Blueberry Tangerine Muffins by Vintage Kitchen
Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Nut, and Soy Free Homemade Mango Jam Recipe by Masala Herb

Main Courses
Gluten Free Nothing Missing Manicotti by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Gluten Free Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Meatballs over Courgette Noodles by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Gluten Free Pizza by Cravings of a Lunatic
Dairy, Egg & Nut Free Balsamic Portobello Burgers by Curious Cuisinere
Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Nut Free Mushroom Risotto Bake by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Dairy, Egg & Gluten Free Vegan Mac and "Cheese" by Webicurean
Dairy, Egg & Nut Free Creamy Mushrooms on Pasta by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Gluten Free Enoki Mushroom & Pine Nut Quinoa by Family Foodie

Sides
Gluten Free Persian Cucumber Yogurt by Shockingly Delicious
Gluten Free Quinoa with Olives, Basil and Sun-dried Tomatoes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
Dairy Free Farro and Fruit Salad by Magnolia Days
Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Dairy Free Fattoush Salad by From the Bookshelf
Gluten Free Chickpea Fritters by The Lovely Pantry
Dairy, Egg, and Gluten Free Black Bean and Mango Salad by Soni's Food
Dairy, Egg, Gluten, and Nut Free Grilled Fennel Salad by Food Lust People Love

Breads
Dairy & Gluten Free French Bread by Blueberries and Blessings
Dairy & Gluten Free Crunchy Almond Sesame Crackers by Sue's Nutrition Buzz

Treats
Dairy & Gluten Free Individual Chocolate Pavlovas by The Girl in The Little Red Kitchen
Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies by Juanita's Cocina
Dairy, Egg & Gluten Free Apple Almond Butter Cookies by What Smells So Good?
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Almond Flour by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Nut Free Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies by Gourmet Drizzles
Dairy Free Chocolate Gelato by Growing Up Gabel
Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Sugar Free Cantaloupe, Strawberry, & Coconut Gazpacho by Peanut Butter and Peppers
Gluten Free Meringue Kisses with Dulce de Lece by Basic N Delicious
Dairy & Egg Free Vegan Everyday Chocolate Loaf by Gotta Get Baked
Gluten, Dairy, and Nut Free Coconut Macaroons by Happy Baking Days
Dairy, Egg, Gluten & Soy Free Tastes like Chocolate Ice Cream by Cookistry
Gluten Free Mousse & Cookies by Ninja Baking
Gluten Free Brown Butter Snickerdooles by Pies and Plots
Dairy, Egg & Soy Free Chai Spice Coconut Ice Cream by Daily Dish Recipes
Gluten Free Lemonade Dip by The Messy Baker
Nut & Fat Free Chocolate Angel Food Cake by Table for Seven

Drinks
Gluten & Dairy Free Honey Bear Smoothies by Neighborfood
Sugar Free Strawberry Meyer Lemonade by The Weekend Gourmet

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A different sort of root beer float (and some Kosher and gluten-free goodies)

I get some pretty interesting press releases. One of them said:

Gluten Free products have become a popular trend, and is a diet not just followed by consumers with Celiac disease or another gluten allergy. I thought your readers should know that Manischewitz, the leader in Kosher foods, has expanded its line of Kosher products that are Gluten Free. Since Gluten Free products are acceptable for Passover, these new releases coincide with the holiday which begins on Monday, March 25 and most are available year-round.

Well, okay then. I'm not following a gluten-free diet, and I'm not Jewish, but for some reason this intrigued me. I like niche foods, and the Manischewitz brand it pretty familiar to me. I remember my mother buying noodles and horseradish ... and maybe something else as well.

So I said, sure, send me some stuff and I'll have some fun with it. I had no idea what to expect.

First, let me say that one of the good things about having my husband home is that we can taste things together. The first thing we tore into was Guiltless Gourmet Exotic Root Chips (all natural, Pareve, soy, and lactose free).

There were four different types of chips in the bag - sweet potato, taro, yuca, and batata. There were pink chips, brownish chips, and some potato-chip-colored chips. I think the sweet potatoes were the browninsh ones. To be honest, they all tasted pretty similar, but there were some different textures which, along with the crazy pink color, made these more interesting than standard chips.

I thought the biscotti was interesting. These familiar cookies are available for Passover in two flavors - chocolate walnut and cranberry pistachio I sampled the cranberry pistachio. First, these cookies are a LOT smaller than the ones you get at coffee shops. But that's okay. You can eat two.

I've eaten biscotti ranging from very dry and  tooth-breakingly hard to sort-of moist(ish). These were definitely dry, but they were more shattery than hard. While they'd be fine dunked in coffee, you could eat them easily without dunking.

Bob's comment was the best. "Hey, these have cranberries in them, but I like them anyway." Yeah, he doesn't usually like cranberries. How about that? And then he had them with coffee and gave another thumbs-up. He's still surprised that he likes them. And I like 'em, too.

I also got a lovely jar of roasted almond butter, which was part of the gluten-free category. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for nut butters. I like them ALL. This one was a little sweet, but what I liked about it most was that it was extremely smooth. Some of the new brands of "artisan" butters are sort of lumpy and almost gritty. Hey, I can make not-smooth nut butters at home. This was super-smooth.

The last items were part of the Guiltless Gourmet line of snacks - Flaxseed Crunch Bars. These munchy-crunchy bars are available in two flavors, almond cranberry flaxseed and cashew cranberry flaxseed. They're vegan and gluten-free. They were a nice change from the usual granola-heavy snack bars that are so common.

But hey, you come here for recipes, right? Here's one I'll bet you won't see coming.

I brainstormed this idea one night, and it sounded fabulous, even though I'd never actually tried these flavors together before. The next day, I wasn't so sure it would work. But I figured I'd try it anyway.

And woah, was I happy. These flavors worked incredibly well together. And that whipped cream is positively dreamy. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.

Root Beer Coffee Float with Almond Whipped Cream
Recipe © by www.cookistry.com. Do not republish without permission.

For the almond whipped cream:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

For the root beer float:
1 or 2 scoops coffee ice cream (recipe here)
Root beer
Almond whipped cream
Chocolate shavings, for garnish (optional)

To make the almond whipped cream:
Mix the  cream, almond butter and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk gently until the almond butter is mixed into the cream, then begin whisking harder until you've got whipped cream. It's not quite as light as a regular whipped cream, but the flavor is amazing.

If you don't like root beer floats, this whipped cream would be stunning on waffles or on a sundae. Or on cake. Or pie. Or a spoon.

To make the root beer float:
Put one or two scoops of ice cream into a glass. Pour the root beer over the top. It will foam up a bit, so pour slowly, let the foam subside a bit, and then continue filling the glass. Top with the whipped cream. It will sink, but that's okay. The idea here is to have streaks of the whipped cream as you sip through a straw. Finish with the last little bit of root beer to get that thick foam to the top, and garnish with the chocolate shavings.

Note: I don't claim that this recipe is Kosher. To be honest, I haven't a clue if the additional ingredients I used were acceptable or not. I do claim that it's pretty delicious, though.

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Gluten-Free Pizza

When Elizabeth Barbone contacted me to see if I wanted to help promote her new book How to Cook Gluten Free, I was more than happy to jump on her bandwagon.

I first "met" Elizabeth at Serious Eats where her gluten-free cooking column was running on the same day as my bread-baking column.

Opposite ends of the spectrum, huh?

I've never met Elizabeth in person, but I'm just a teeny bit concerned that if we ever do meet, we may cause a black hole to form as super-gluten and anti-gluten collide.

Seriously, though, I'm massively impressed with Elizabeth. A lot of people think my bread recipes are amazing, but Elizabeth does the same thing without using any gluten. It's like working with one hand tied behind your back. And blindfolded.

On Serious Eats, she didn't settle for making things that were sub-par gluten-free substitutes for real food - whatever she made looked fantastic. And she didn't cheat. You wouldn't see her making a salad and saying, "oh, look, this is gluten free!" She made difficult things. Like beautiful biscuits.

So, of course I was happy to try out a recipe and write about it.

Here it is:

No-Rise Pizza Crust
Adapted from How to Cook Gluten Free by Elizabeth Barbone

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups white rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients with a fork or small whisk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine until a dough forms. The dough will be on the dry side. This is normal.

Generously sprinkle your counter with the white rice flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter. Knead the dough until it is smooth. If, after, kneading for a minute, the dough is still dry and doesn't hold together, add a tablespoon more water.

Center the dough on a 16 1/2 by 12 1/2-inch piece of parchment paper. Dust the dough generously with white rice flour. Roll out the dough until it covers the parchment paper.

Set a rimmed baking sheet very close to the rolled out crust. Grab the corners of one of the long sides of the parchment paper and slide the crust into the pan. Do this quickly.

Top and bake as directed in the recipe.

Making The Pizza

We were also given a recipe for what looked like a really good pizza with roasted tomatoes and artichoke hearts. I decided to do something much more simple - tomato sauce, provolone cheese, and black olives.

The instructions said to brush the crust with olive oil and then bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes until it was lightly golden brown. I followed that, but then added my own toppings.

When the crust was in the oven, I warned my husband that we were having a gluten-free pizza. You know, just in case he wanted to run away.

Seriously, I've tried some gluten free pizzas that were terrible. One was completely inedible. Gummy, doughy, and with a chemical-like flavor that couldn't be overcome.

This pizza was the opposite - a very crisp crust, almost cracker-like on the edges. Under the toppings, the crust was a bit more tender. It wasn't exactly like any wheat-crust pizza I've ever had, but it was completely edible. It's what we had for dinner - no Plan B required.

Well, the toppings could have been a little more creative. But it was all about the crust, anyway. And that was a success. Of course, that's what I expected from Elizabeth.

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Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Cups

This post is sponsored by Fooducopia. For more details, see the tab at the top.

I don't do a whole lot of gluten-free baking, so when Fooducopia gave me gluten-free all purpose flour mix made by Outrageous Baking to work with, it was a challenge. I decided to use it in a recipe where gluten-development was pretty much undesirable - shortbread dough.

But even though gluten-free flour mixes are designed to mimic the properties and flavor of wheat flour, it's never an exact match. This dough felt different as I handled it. But in the end, it worked. And no one I gave them to thought they were unusual in any way. And that's all that counts.

Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Cups

1 cup Outrageous Baking Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 stick cold butter

Cut the butter into several pieces, Put all the ingredients into your food processor and process until the mixture forms a coherent dough.

Remove the dough from the processor, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator until it firms up - about an hour; longer is fine.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces Place a piece into a mini-muffin tins and press the dough into the bottom and part way up the sides of the tins. If you have a tart tamper, you can use that to press the dough, or a shot glass with a flat bottom will do a fine job.

Bake at 325 degrees until the shortcake cups are lightly browned - about 12 minutes. Let the cups cool in the pans until the firm up - about 10 minutes. Remove the shortcake cups from the tins and let them cool completely on a rack.

To serve, fill the cups with a bit of jam or jelly or preserves, sweetened cream cheese, caramel, or whatever you like.

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Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

I met cookbook author Elana Amsterdam at a local event I went to, and she kindly offered me copies of her books, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and Gluten-Free Cupcakes.

If you've read this blog, you now that I'm not gluten-free, but I'm perfectly happy to try gluten-free recipes if they sound interesting. I mean, flourless chocolate cake is pretty darned good, isn't it?

And it seems to me that someone who can have gluten is a pretty good judge of gluten-free baked goods, as well. Where a gluten-free eater can only judge against other gluten-free products, a gluten eater can compare the items to all baked goods.

When I saw a recipe for cheese crackers, I was intrigued. I love cheese crackers. But what sold me on trying them was the statement, "Friends tell me these crackers taste like Cheez-its" Oh, really?

Okay, to be honest, I sort of hoped they'd taste better than Cheez-its because they have that cheez-powder flavor. I figured that a cracker with real, honest cheese had to be better.

Unlike some gluten-free recipes that use a whole pantry full of different flours, this was pretty simple. In fact, most of the recipes in this book rely mostly on almond flour. The book specifies the use of a finely ground blanched almond flour. I'm not sure if the one I used was correct, but this particular recipe worked anyway. The crackers didn't break apart as smoothly as I might have wished for, but rustic is good, right?

I haven't eaten a Cheez-it in a long time, so I don't know how close these really are. They aren't as dark orange, but that probably has something to do with the type of cheese - or maybe the use of food coloring. But color aside, they're addictive, that's for sure. Gluten or no gluten, they make a nice snack. I cut the recipe in half when I made it. So of course you can double it.

Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam

1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and have a baking sheet and two pieces of parchment paper handy.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cheese. In a separate bowl, combine the egg and oil, and whisk together. Add the eggs and oil to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined.

Place the dough on one piece of parchment paper, top with the second piece, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/16 of an inch. Remove the top piece of parchment, slide the other piece of parchment, along with the dough, onto a cookie sheet. Cut the dough into squares with a pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or knife.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the crackers are lightly browned. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes before serving.

ALSO - the hexagonal plate you see there up above is a sample I got (free) from Marx Foods.The plates are made from Adaka palm tree leaf sheaths. (Say that three times, fast.) The sheaths dry out on the plant, then fall off and are collected, so trees aren't being cut down to make these. And they're biodgradable and compostable. You can read How Palm Plates are Made for more details.

They're pretty sturdy as well. Marx Food says they hold up to hot and cold foods, and you cut meat in them without going through the plates. I don't know about that - I've only got a few of them and I've been using them mostly for holding tomatoes or fresh fruits and for items I want to photograph. They've all got different patterns to them, so they look kind of interesting.

I made the mistake of storing mine in an odd position and they got a little warped, but it's not a big deal. Once I put something heavy enough - like those tomatoes or apples - in there, they flatten out. I suppose I could put something in the empty ones to flatten them, but it hasn't been all that important to me. If I was using them for tableware, I might do that, though. Or maybe just not store them in a warpy position to begin with.

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Project: Gluten-Free Sourdough

Since my Starter-Along series on Serious Eats, I've been working on a new project: gluten-free sourdough.

Making the starter sounded fairly simple. After all, I've made starters with whole wheat, spelt, and rye flour. I thought that the starter would be the easy part.

But nooooooooo....

The problem was that I grew mold at about the same rate I grew "good" bubbles. So I scrapped a lot of starters. The bacteria and yeast in a starter should be able to ward off the stuff you don't want growing, and it wasn't working with the gluten free flours I was using.

After growing a lot of fur, I finally (I think) found a way to ward off the mold and encourage the good bacteria and yeast at the same time. So far so good.

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King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Although I don't need to eat gluten-free foods, I know quite a few people who do, So once in a while I'll try out a gluten-free product. I reviewed King Arthur's gluten-free brownie mix a while back and I was impressed with it, so I had high hopes for this cake.

The mix requires eggs, oil, water, and vanilla. I thought the vanilla was a curious addition, since most mixes don't require it.

The instructions require the eggs to be added one at a time, and the water to be added in batches, beating in between each addition. It's not difficult, but it's different from normal cake mixes where you dump it all in and mix a lot less.

The mix is supposed to make two layers, but I decided to make a bundt cake instead. I'm not a big fan of frosting, and I've got plenty of pretty bundt pans.

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King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Brownies

Bring up the topic of gluten-free foods in any group, and you're sure to get a variety of responses. I've heard everything from, "It's a fad. It will pass, just like Atkins," to "Gluten is bad for you. People shouldn't eat it." As usual, the truth lies somewhere between those two sentiments.

Gluten isn't bad for everyone, but it is very bad for some people. If you don't have gluten issues, then it's no more harmful than anything else you eat. But if you have celiac disease or other gluten sensitivities, avoiding gluten is important.

As with all allergies and sensitivities, there are varying degrees of symptoms. Some people are fine with small amounts of gluten, while others can't even have a trace of it before they have a reaction. That's why gluten-free boxed mixes are made and packaged in facilities that are free of all gluten products. It's not just a different packaging line, but an entirely different facility.

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Gluten-Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread

It's probably obvious that I don't have gluten issues, but on the other hand, I'm not anti-gluten-free. Over the years, I've tried gluten-free baked goods, and I've even made gluten-free bread. I'll happily sample gluten-free products without prejudice.

But for the most part, my opinion of most of the gluten-free products I've tried is that they're good if you can't have gluten, but few of them impressed me enough that I'd choose them over similar wheat-based products.

Yes, I'm a wheataholic.

When a local woman, Mary Capone, launched a line of gluten-free mixes, Bella Gluten-Free, and was offering samples at Cayenne Kitchen, a local kitchen store, of course I had to try all of the samples.

It was quite a surprise. In a blind taste test, I doubt anyone would be able to pick out the multigrain sandwich bread as gluten free. And not only was it indistinguishable from yeast bread, it was actually tasty all by itself.

The last gluten-free bread I made would have been fine for sandwiches or slathered with something flavorful, but it didn't entice me to nibble. This was nibble-worthy.

It might have been the sesame seeds that tipped the balance, but I kept going back for more samples of the bread. So of course I had to get some mixes to test at home.

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Gluten-Free White Bread

While I have no need to bake gluten-free bread, when I got a copy of The Gluten-Free Italian Cookbook, by Mary Capone,I knew that I'd have to try the bread recipe. Bread is all about gluten, and the idea of making a bread without that stretchy component intrigued me.

The recipe requires a bit of a leap of faith that it's all working correctly, because the steps seem a little arbitrary and the process is nothing like making yeast bread. Afterward, it all makes sense, but it the middle of it, it seems like a science experiment gone wrong.

The bread in the book is called "Our Daily Bread" and the basic recipe is just that. It's a very plain white bread that wouldn't clash with anything and that would be the perfect background for a sandwich or morning toast.

Our Daily Bread
Adapted from The Gluten-Free Italian Cookbook by Mary Capone

2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup potato starch
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 eggs plus 3 egg whites
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Eggwash: 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For a standard sandwich-style bread, lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with vegetable oil, olive oil, or cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes at which point the mixture should have a foamy head; if not, start over with new yeast.

Add all dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and blend for 3 minutes to combine thoroughly. Or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mixing for 5 minutes.

In another small bowl, whisk olive oil, eggs, and vinegar until well blended. add this mixture to the dry an mix well. Add the yeast mixture, and mix again.

Keep mixing; it will take 2-3 minutes for the dough to form in the food processor, and for it to mound up around the blade. If using a stand mixer, it will take about 5 minutes and the dough will build up around the paddle. In either case, it will pull away from the sides of the bowl in ribbons or thick, thready strands.

The dough will be sticky and soft. If you're including any add-ins, stir them in just until combined.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spoon dipped in olive oil. Set it in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes. It will almost double in size.

Slash the top, if desired, and brush with the eggwash. You can also sprinkle the top with seeds or other toppings.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

The Results

When I made this bread, I thought that the toughest taste test would be to make the simplest bread, with no topping and no add-ins that would distract from the flavor of the bread itself. The resulting loaf was very plain. Not bad, by any means, but very plain. Of course, that's in comparison to my usual breads that tend to be more interesting than the usual store-bought bread.

When I served this bread for dinner, my husband didn't notice anything unusual about it, which is a pretty good testament to its similarity to wheat bread's flavor and texture. It would make a great sandwich bread, but it's not the sort of thing that you'd slice and devour plain.

If I was making this again, I think I'd add a bit more salt, as it seemed just a little bit bland. Add-ins that Capone suggest are things like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, herbs and spices, cheese, or onions. For a sweeter bread, she suggested cinnamon mixed with sugar swirled into the dough, along with walnuts and raisins.

If I was making the bread again, I think I'd go for some grated cheese to add some tang while still allowing it to be a multipurpose bread. Butter flavoring might also be a good idea, if that comes in a gluten-free version.

Experiment done, I'm glad that I don't have gluten problems. But if I did, at least this bread exists. Knowing me, I'd be experimenting like mad to create ever more interesting flavor profiles, just like I do with regular breads.

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Wheat Free Cooking

While I have no need to live a wheat-free lifestyle, I know plenty of people who do. And as an avid baker, and pasta lover, and cookie fiend, I was curious whether wheat-free alternatives were palatable or not. I attended an event at the author's home, where she holds small cooking classes. There, I sampled her pasta, cookies, pizza, and other foods.

Later, I tried making the bread recipe from the book. As you can see, it looks like a standard loaf of white bread. And the greatest praise came from my husband's comment. "I don't get it. What's the big deal about this bread, again." In other words, there was nothing weird about it that he felt a need to comment about. To him, it was regular bread.

The wheat-free alternatives Mary Capone created are actually quite good. But still, I'd glad that I don't have a wheat problem, because working without wheat makes many dishes a more complicated, and some of the ingredients are a little obscure. When I last spoke with her, Mary said she was considering marketing some of her mixes, to make it easier for people to recreate her recipes. I have no doubt she'll get that project off the ground. She's passionate about making the wheat-free lifestyle a tasty one.

The following article was first published in the December, 2008 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier.

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