Specifically Irish bread pudding. It was the simplest recipe I could find.
8 slices of bread
8 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
4 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees.
2. Break the bread into bite size portions. Place them into a 9x9x2 inch pan
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together. Add zest and milk and pour over the bread.
4. Dot with the butter and bake until mix is set, about 30 minutes.
5. Add toppings to taste.
I used about half a cup of honey instead of sugar and goat's milk instead of regular milk. The goat's milk might explain the slight bitterness I'm tasting. Also, it doesn't quite look like the bread pudding I had in Ireland. That might have something to do with gluten-free bread being so much denser than regular bread. Not as much of the egg and milk mix can be absorbed into the bread. Still, with a little lemon juice it tastes quite good. I may use actual sugar next time, though. The honey didn't mix with the other ingredients quite as thoroughly as I'd like to hope. May also explain the odd taste when I tried it plain.
Now if I could just do something about the pale yellow color.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Never forget the basics.
There's nothing quite like a simple PB&J for when you're in a hurry. Of course, if you have celiac that could be a problem. Or if you're allergic to soy. It's rather remarkable how many brands of bread have soy in them.
I'm not entirely sure what to recommend for the soy thing, except pay really close attention to the ingredient labels. The gluten thing I can help with, though. There are a lot of gluten-free breads available, but I've found that several of them taste too much like plastic for my tastes. Food for Life has a good track record in my experience (and at least some of them are soy free, too), but everyone has their own tastes. All I can really recommend is trying them all out and picking a favorite. Though I do recommend staying away from anything that looks like regular white bread.
Hopefully the next post will have an actual recipe. I hope to try some bread pudding this week.
I'm not entirely sure what to recommend for the soy thing, except pay really close attention to the ingredient labels. The gluten thing I can help with, though. There are a lot of gluten-free breads available, but I've found that several of them taste too much like plastic for my tastes. Food for Life has a good track record in my experience (and at least some of them are soy free, too), but everyone has their own tastes. All I can really recommend is trying them all out and picking a favorite. Though I do recommend staying away from anything that looks like regular white bread.
Hopefully the next post will have an actual recipe. I hope to try some bread pudding this week.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Salmon/tuna loaf can be easy
I tried a recipe for salmon loaf that was on the back of a can of salmon. It took a lot more ingredients and ended up a lot more mushy than what Mom makes.
Salmon loaf and tuna loaf are essentially the same thing except for the kind of fish you use. Theoretically, you should be able to substitute any canned fish. Wonder what mackerel loaf would taste like?
Anyway, this is how Mom makes salmon/tuna loaf.
1 14.75oz can salmon or 2 5oz cans tuna (if you have soy allergies, be sure to read the labels!)
2 cups Rice Crispies (you can substitute any semi-puffed rice cereal or gluten-free bread crumbs)
2 eggs
Mix, put in a bread pan, set oven for 350, and cook for about 1/2 an hour.
I don't think it can get much simpler than that.
Salmon loaf and tuna loaf are essentially the same thing except for the kind of fish you use. Theoretically, you should be able to substitute any canned fish. Wonder what mackerel loaf would taste like?
Anyway, this is how Mom makes salmon/tuna loaf.
1 14.75oz can salmon or 2 5oz cans tuna (if you have soy allergies, be sure to read the labels!)
2 cups Rice Crispies (you can substitute any semi-puffed rice cereal or gluten-free bread crumbs)
2 eggs
Mix, put in a bread pan, set oven for 350, and cook for about 1/2 an hour.
I don't think it can get much simpler than that.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pancakes can be gluten free!
No, really!
These turned out a little peculiar tasting, as I recall, but that was probably because I ran out of the sort of flour called for and had to substitute something kinda close.
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon baking powder (be sure to get a kind that specifies that it's gluten free, I go the extra mile and get one that's aluminum free, too)
1 cup flour (rice, corn or chickpea)
extra butter for frying (you can use oil or Crisco if you prefer)
In a food processor, whirl all liquids. Slowly add baking powder and flour. Yeah, it seems weird to use a food processor, but the resulting batter is really light and poofy and saves on a lot of arm strain.
Heat pan until butter sizzles.
Pour batter until about 2 inches in diameter. When bubbles go to top turn and cook until golden brown.
I'm betting you could probably add some berries or other fruits to this if you like. I haven't tried that yet, though.
These turned out a little peculiar tasting, as I recall, but that was probably because I ran out of the sort of flour called for and had to substitute something kinda close.
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon baking powder (be sure to get a kind that specifies that it's gluten free, I go the extra mile and get one that's aluminum free, too)
1 cup flour (rice, corn or chickpea)
extra butter for frying (you can use oil or Crisco if you prefer)
In a food processor, whirl all liquids. Slowly add baking powder and flour. Yeah, it seems weird to use a food processor, but the resulting batter is really light and poofy and saves on a lot of arm strain.
Heat pan until butter sizzles.
Pour batter until about 2 inches in diameter. When bubbles go to top turn and cook until golden brown.
I'm betting you could probably add some berries or other fruits to this if you like. I haven't tried that yet, though.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Before You Make That Tuna Loaf...
You might want to check your cupboards for any canned tuna you have on hand. Does it say 'in water'? Do you think it's actually in water?
The labels! They lie!
Sort of. Chances are there actually is water in that can. It may even be listed right after tuna on the ingredients label. But right after that is going to be something else, something I wasn't expecting.
Vegetable broth. Yes, that's right, vegetable broth. What the heck is vegetable broth doing in a can of tuna? The vegetable in question is almost certainly soy considering that the label also read, "contains: fish (tuna), soy"
The fish part is something of a duh. The soy part was a great deal more surprising.
So I checked and discovered that every can from every brand of tuna had the same thing. Vegetable broth listed as an ingredient and that little warning that the can contained soy. All, that is, except for one. StarKist Gourmet Choice. There might be other brands out there that are soy free, but that's the only one available in the local grocery.
Just want to mention here that I am in no way affiliated with the StarKist company nor any parent company or child company associated therewith. I just happen to buy canned tuna from time to time and have a mom who's allergic to soy.
Now, I'm apparently not the only one who noticed. I'd actually be a little worried if I were. After a search for the terms 'canned tuna contains soy' I got a lot of blog posts on this very subject. I does bear repeating, though, as I didn't run into any that specified any particular brands that have remained soyless. Maybe they're worried that any brand mentioned might start following the trend of adding soy broth to the tuna. Be that as it may, I did want to mention that I was able to find a source of soyless canned tuna. How long it will stay that way is something we shall all have to wait and see.
The labels! They lie!
Sort of. Chances are there actually is water in that can. It may even be listed right after tuna on the ingredients label. But right after that is going to be something else, something I wasn't expecting.
Vegetable broth. Yes, that's right, vegetable broth. What the heck is vegetable broth doing in a can of tuna? The vegetable in question is almost certainly soy considering that the label also read, "contains: fish (tuna), soy"
The fish part is something of a duh. The soy part was a great deal more surprising.
So I checked and discovered that every can from every brand of tuna had the same thing. Vegetable broth listed as an ingredient and that little warning that the can contained soy. All, that is, except for one. StarKist Gourmet Choice. There might be other brands out there that are soy free, but that's the only one available in the local grocery.
Just want to mention here that I am in no way affiliated with the StarKist company nor any parent company or child company associated therewith. I just happen to buy canned tuna from time to time and have a mom who's allergic to soy.
Now, I'm apparently not the only one who noticed. I'd actually be a little worried if I were. After a search for the terms 'canned tuna contains soy' I got a lot of blog posts on this very subject. I does bear repeating, though, as I didn't run into any that specified any particular brands that have remained soyless. Maybe they're worried that any brand mentioned might start following the trend of adding soy broth to the tuna. Be that as it may, I did want to mention that I was able to find a source of soyless canned tuna. How long it will stay that way is something we shall all have to wait and see.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Rhubarb Crisp and the Lost Art of Simplicity
Trying to find a simple, gluten-free rhubarb crisp recipe is really what inspired me to start this blog. It is ridiculously hard. Not that there aren't recipes out there, but they're either way too complicated to be practical, swimming in sugar, or involve some of the strangest ingredients. (Why, in the name of sanity, would someone put Cayenne pepper in a dessert?) As for cookbooks, mine seemed to be unaware of rhubarb's existence.
Of course, I might be spoiled. When I was a kid, well before I found out about Celiac's disease, Mom made the best rhubarb crisp bar none.
So that gave me an idea. Adapt Mom's recipe to be gluten free. Which I think she got from Betty Crocker, but I'm not sure.
Rhubarb Crisp
6 cups rhubarb
1/3 cup water
Butter 9x13x2 inch pan, pour in rhubarb, sprinkle with water.
1 cup rolled oats (use one that specifies that it's from a dedicated gluten-free processing plant, or, if you can't handle oats as well as the more traditional grains, you can try rolled rice)
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill, but I should think any all purpose mix should do)
1/2 cup rice bran
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Use a sprinkle of guar or xanthan gum to help hold it together. Not really sure how much, as I'll detail later.
Mix and sprinkle over rhubarb.
Cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
It doesn't get much simpler than that, right?
Well, a little experimentation might be in order to get the right texture. When I tried this the result was a much smoother, gooier crust than I remember Mom's crisp having. I might have used too much guar gum. Or maybe the all purpose flour wasn't coarse enough. The original recipe did specify whole wheat flour. But it tasted good, which is the main thing. For something like this, texture is really up to personal preferences. Next time I try this I may add a little millet flour or leave out the guar gum. Maybe mix some coarse oatmeal in with the rolled oats.
What's really great about simple recipes like this is that there's a lot more room for experimenting. At least there is for people like me who still burn things fairly regularly. (I'm getting better, mostly.)
Of course, I might be spoiled. When I was a kid, well before I found out about Celiac's disease, Mom made the best rhubarb crisp bar none.
So that gave me an idea. Adapt Mom's recipe to be gluten free. Which I think she got from Betty Crocker, but I'm not sure.
Rhubarb Crisp
6 cups rhubarb
1/3 cup water
Butter 9x13x2 inch pan, pour in rhubarb, sprinkle with water.
1 cup rolled oats (use one that specifies that it's from a dedicated gluten-free processing plant, or, if you can't handle oats as well as the more traditional grains, you can try rolled rice)
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill, but I should think any all purpose mix should do)
1/2 cup rice bran
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Use a sprinkle of guar or xanthan gum to help hold it together. Not really sure how much, as I'll detail later.
Mix and sprinkle over rhubarb.
Cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
It doesn't get much simpler than that, right?
Well, a little experimentation might be in order to get the right texture. When I tried this the result was a much smoother, gooier crust than I remember Mom's crisp having. I might have used too much guar gum. Or maybe the all purpose flour wasn't coarse enough. The original recipe did specify whole wheat flour. But it tasted good, which is the main thing. For something like this, texture is really up to personal preferences. Next time I try this I may add a little millet flour or leave out the guar gum. Maybe mix some coarse oatmeal in with the rolled oats.
What's really great about simple recipes like this is that there's a lot more room for experimenting. At least there is for people like me who still burn things fairly regularly. (I'm getting better, mostly.)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tofu, the plant equivalent to meat?
Almost two years ago I had the pleasure of visiting a sushi parlor in Washington, DC. There I had, among other things, inarizushi. I loved it. Later I found that one of the primary ingredients is tofu. That's okay for me, since I'm fine with soy products, but it did mean I wouldn't be able to share that taste with certain members of my family.
Anyway, that was the first time I'd ever had tofu. The second time was yesterday, when I tried adding it to some stir fry. It was weird stuff but I was assured that it had just as much protein as meat and was a lot healthier. So why was I craving a steak afterward?
I decided to do some checking, after all, one can't simply take these claims of health value on word alone.
For complete transparency, I'm using figures from Nutrition Data for both samples.
Sample 1: 100 grams of MORI-NU Tofu, silken, firm
Sample 2: 100 grams of ground beef 70% lean meat/30% fat, patty cooked, pan-broiled
I'm using ground beef because that's the sort of meat I'm most often able to afford, besides liver.
A zero means that there may be some in there but the amount is too small. A tilde (this thing ~ ) means that the substance isn't in the sample at all.
Fat
Sample 1: 3g Sample 2: 16g
Cholesterol
Sample 1: 0mg Sample 2: 78mg
Sodium
Sample 1: 36mg Sample 2: 92mg
Carbs
Sample 1: 2g Sample 2: 0g
So far tofu seems to be winning, at least by contemporary standards of health. But what about protein and other nutrients?
Protein
Sample 1: 6.9g Sample 2: 22.9g
Vitamin K
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 2.8mcg
Thiamin
Sample 1: .1mg Sample 2: 0mg
Riboflavin
Sample 1: 0mg Sample 2: .2mg
Niacin
Sample 1: .2mg Sample 2: 5mg
Vitamin B6
Sample 1: 0mg Sample 2: .3mg
Folate
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 10mcg
Vitamin B12
Sample 1: 0mcg Sample 2: 2.4mcg
Pantothenic Acid
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: .6mg
Choline
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 76.6mg
Betaine
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 9.9mg
Calcium
Sample 1: 32mg Sample 2: 37mg
Iron
Sample 1: 1mg Sample 2: 2.4mg
Magnesium
Sample 1: 27mg Sample 2: 20mg
Phosphorus
Sample 1: 90mg Sample 2: 194mg
Potassium
Sample 1: 194mg Sample 2: 308mg
Zinc
Sample 1: .6mg Sample 2: 5.8mg
Copper
Sample 1: .2mg Sample 2: .1mg
Selenium
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 19.2mcg
Fluoride
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 22.4mcg
In short, I think I'm going to be sticking to real burger.
Anyway, that was the first time I'd ever had tofu. The second time was yesterday, when I tried adding it to some stir fry. It was weird stuff but I was assured that it had just as much protein as meat and was a lot healthier. So why was I craving a steak afterward?
I decided to do some checking, after all, one can't simply take these claims of health value on word alone.
For complete transparency, I'm using figures from Nutrition Data for both samples.
Sample 1: 100 grams of MORI-NU Tofu, silken, firm
Sample 2: 100 grams of ground beef 70% lean meat/30% fat, patty cooked, pan-broiled
I'm using ground beef because that's the sort of meat I'm most often able to afford, besides liver.
A zero means that there may be some in there but the amount is too small. A tilde (this thing ~ ) means that the substance isn't in the sample at all.
Fat
Sample 1: 3g Sample 2: 16g
Cholesterol
Sample 1: 0mg Sample 2: 78mg
Sodium
Sample 1: 36mg Sample 2: 92mg
Carbs
Sample 1: 2g Sample 2: 0g
So far tofu seems to be winning, at least by contemporary standards of health. But what about protein and other nutrients?
Protein
Sample 1: 6.9g Sample 2: 22.9g
Vitamin K
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 2.8mcg
Thiamin
Sample 1: .1mg Sample 2: 0mg
Riboflavin
Sample 1: 0mg Sample 2: .2mg
Niacin
Sample 1: .2mg Sample 2: 5mg
Vitamin B6
Sample 1: 0mg Sample 2: .3mg
Folate
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 10mcg
Vitamin B12
Sample 1: 0mcg Sample 2: 2.4mcg
Pantothenic Acid
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: .6mg
Choline
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 76.6mg
Betaine
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 9.9mg
Calcium
Sample 1: 32mg Sample 2: 37mg
Iron
Sample 1: 1mg Sample 2: 2.4mg
Magnesium
Sample 1: 27mg Sample 2: 20mg
Phosphorus
Sample 1: 90mg Sample 2: 194mg
Potassium
Sample 1: 194mg Sample 2: 308mg
Zinc
Sample 1: .6mg Sample 2: 5.8mg
Copper
Sample 1: .2mg Sample 2: .1mg
Selenium
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 19.2mcg
Fluoride
Sample 1: ~ Sample 2: 22.4mcg
In short, I think I'm going to be sticking to real burger.
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