cream puffs with chocolate glaze

These nutella cream puffs were so good that they disappeared before I could even take a photo. So I grabbed this throw back thursday photo from 2014–way before they even had throw back thursday!  These cream puffs  taste like chocolate filled donuts when you fill them with nutella. I kid you not. I first made cream puffs in cooking school years ago before gluten free was a thing and they seemed okay but I was never really wowed by them until my kids had the bright idea to make gluten free unicorn cream puffs which are basically  cream puffs filled with rainbow pastry cream with purple and white chocolate glaze.

yum. yum. yum.

only we had someone here who can’t have cream so the unicorn cream puffs were a no go for him.

so, I made these nutella cream puffs…

note: these aren’t dairy free but you can easily substitute this chocolate pudding recipe if you need a dairy free alternative.

CREAM PUFF RECIPE

NOTE: If you prepare these in a kitchen that also uses gluten/wheat containing flour PLEASE prepare these first thing in the morning using all utensils and bowls straight out of the dishwasher and use parchment paper on the sheet trays so that they are not contaminated by gluten/wheat items. This is the best workflow in a kitchen that isn’t 100% gluten free so that you prevent cross contamination–plus it shows a level of understanding of gluten free preparation. THANK YOU!

1 cup water
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the water, butter, gluten free flour and bring to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Stir in the flour. Stir vigorously to combine. Remove from heat. Stir until the batter pulls away from the edge and sticks to the spoon. Add the eggs one at a time–incorporating them fully before adding the next egg.

Drop by  rounded tablespoon or use a pastry bag to pipe out small balls onto a cookie sheet.

Bake in a 425 oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 bake 25 minutes.

Let cool. Poke small hole in the bottom to fill. Using a pastry tube or parchment made into a pastry tube–fill the puffs with nutella or filling of choice.

Dust the cream puffs with powdered sugar or chocolate glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cream or coconut milk

Combine chocolate chips and coconut milk in a small glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir to combine. Microwave 30 seconds more and stir. Repeat this step until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over the filled cream puffs.

The post Nutella Cream Puff Recipe (gf) appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

Yes–the Haribo Gummy Bears I have always loved– the Haribo Gummy Bears that I have always thought of as gluten free contained a new ingredient–GLUCOSE (MADE FROM WHEAT OR CORN.) Despite the package which reads “The original since 1922″–the ingredients have changed recently.

Bummer. Not just for the celiac community–the wheat allergy community is also affected by this change of ingredients.

The even big bummer is that Haribo Gummy Bears are listed on so many gluten free candy lists as being gluten free. (Another reason to check labels even if you think that a product is gluten free.)

Haribo Gummy Bear Package with gummy bears

I sent this email to Haribo…

“When did the US formula for Haribo Gold Bears change to contain WHEAT as an ingredient??? This is a VERY concerning to the celiac community as well as for individuals with wheat allergies.”

Haribo’s Response:

At HARIBO, the wellbeing of our consumers is our top priority. As such, we place high demands on the quality of our products. Those demands extend to our labels. Because our production facilities making Gold-Bears, Sour Gold-Bears and Roulette products use different glucose suppliers whose ingredients could contain very low levels of the wheat proteins, we decided to make this label change in an abundance of caution. In addition to the label change, we tested our U.S. products and found no identifiable levels of the wheat allergen. Still, we changed our labels to ensure consumers have the most information available to make informed decisions regarding their health. The new product labels will hit shelves in December. The new ingredient label will read: “glucose syrup (from wheat or corn)” or “dextrose (from wheat or corn).”

Our recipe has not changed, so consumers can expect the same delicious and fun experience with our Gold-Bears.

Haribo Gold-Bears Gummy Bears Label 2016 which shows WHEAT as an ingredient

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Isabel’s Kitchen in Pine Plains, New York

Isabel’s Kitchen in Pine Plains, New York serves gluten free and vegan prepared foods, baked goods and juices for take out or eat in at their a large farm table in their peaceful and bright store. The Hudson Valley has a history of farm to table restaurants—but nice to see to find a place that offers plant based options for people who are vegan and gluten free.

I couldn’t resist trying their gluten free vegan pecan pie (delicious!) and the cashew cream parfaits.  The small ball jars with berries and cashew cream which look like sundae’s were a nice addition to my breakfast table. Ball jars are my favorite thing in the world!

Fans of Isabel’s Kitchen rave about their 3 day cleanse—that runs monthly—which I am excite to try!

(Thanks Cathy for telling me about Isabel’s Kitchen!)

Isabel’s Kitchen gluten free vegan pecan pie

Isabel’s Kitchen Cashew Cream Parfait

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I called McDonald’s to find out what the gluten free options were in 2016.

We avoid eating at McDonald’s for many reasons. Unfortunately,  I have discovered that avoiding McDonald’s is more of a challenge for my kids. Whenever there is a long bus ride for school or camp the bus inevitably stop at McDonald’s. For gluten free teenagers living in the real world— McDonald’s seems to be a restaurant  they need to learn to navigate. Not eating is sometimes not an option—because there are no other food options available.

Navigating the website is complicated  and nutrition info, ingredients and allergens are all hidden and hard to find so I provided the steps below that were given to me by McDonald’s customer service at 1-800-244-6227.

Here are the items that I found to be gluten free according to me searching on their website (date: September 21, 2016)

GLUTEN FREE  ITEMS (that don’t contain wheat)

SALADS:
• Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad
• Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad

DRESSINGS:
• Newman’s Own Ranch Dressing
• Newman’s Own Low Fat Family Italian Dressing
• Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Newman’s Own Creamy Southwest Dressing

SNACKS:
• Apple Slices
• Mandarin Orange Cuties
• Yoplait Go-Gurt Lowfat Strawberry Yogurt

DESSERTS:
• Hot Fudge Sundae
• McFlurry with M&M’s Candies
• Hot Caramel Sundae
• Strawberry Sundae
• McCafe Vanilla Shake
• McCafe Strawberry Shake

CUSTOMIZED ITEMS THAT CAN BE MODIFIED TO BE GLUTEN FREE…

BREAKFAST
• Egg McMuffin (customize—request without the classic english muffin)
* Sausage McMuffin with egg (customize – request without the classic english muffin)
• Egg White Delight McMuffin (customize – request without the classic english muffin)
• Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit (customize – request without the biscuit)

LUNCH/DINNER:
•  Hamburger (customize- request without the  bun or you can request it wrapped in lettuce)
• Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (customize – request without the bun)

ADVICE FOR SEARCHING THE McDONALDS WEBSITE..
• Go to McDonald’s website
• Click on “OUR MENU” at the top left corner.
• Click on “VIEW FULL MENU >” at the bottom of the pull down menu.
• Click on the menu item that you want to check. (I clicked on hamburger)
• Click on “VIEW FULL NUTRITION AND INGREDIENTS”  (in small faint gray letters underneath the pictures of the ingredients)
• Scroll down to the menu item and on the right side click on “SHOW DETAILS”
• Click on INGREDIENTS tab
• You can see the components of the menu item at the top of the screen. There will be a list of the ingredients in each component. And at the bottom of the list of ingredients for each component is the allergens it contains.
• You can deselect the component/ ingredient (for instance the bun in the hamburger) but clicking on the red circle under the photo of the regular bun. Then the menu item will pop up without the bun allergens (and be wheat free.)

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All Nairn’s Gluten Free Cookies are made using pure, uncontaminated gluten free oats. In addition, they are tested prior to release and they bear the “certified gluten free” symbol on the box. Of course, some people with celiac can not eat oats, so the cookies are not for everyone. But for people on a gluten free diet who tolerate oats and who are looking for a low sugar “cookie” I highly recommend Nairn’s cookies.

There are four different Nairn’s Gluten Free varieties to choose from…

Oatmeal Grahams, Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies, Stem Ginger and Oatmeal Cookies, and Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The post Nairn’s GF Oatmeal Cookies Review appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

It is hard to find a chewy gluten free bagel that isn’t “bread-like”–so The Odd Bagel comes out ahead of most gluten free bagels for chewy bagel like texture. My only criticism is they might be a little too chewy! The good thing about the chewiness is that you can eat a quarter of a bagel and you are actually satisfied in a way that you rarely are with most gluten free baked goods.

If they are frozen, defrost them in a microwave for 40 seconds with a wet paper towel over them to give them a fresh baked taste. “Definitely toast them” was another comment by our gluten free review team. Yes–these bagels are meant to be toasted. Not just warmed up–toasted. The crispiness of the toasted bagel makes them even more satisfying.

The everything bagels were the most popular and I had to quickly snap these photos before they disappeared completely. I enjoyed my everything bagel with Tree Nut cream cheese–and my other tester had a cinnamon raisin bagel with earth balance buttery spread.

Another amazing thing about The Odd Bagel is that they are made without eggs–which is great for vegans and people who are avoiding eggs  because of allergies.

As always–here are the pros and cons of The Odd Bagel…

PROS…Chewy texture. Satisfying. They actually taste like a bagel. Made with real ingredients. Made in a dedicated gluten free facility. Delicious flavors–the onion bagels and the everything bagels were the most popular. Excellent toasted.

CONS…On the small side. For those who are avoiding other allergens, they are made in a facility  that also processes soy, milk and eggs. Cinnamon raisin bagels need a few more raisins.

To find out more about the Odd Bagel  or to order visit oddbagel.com.

The post The Odd Bagel–A Chewy Gluten Free Bagel appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

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I always think of my friend Peggy when I am too tired to cook anything. She once confessed that she served rice, vegetables and a meat every night for dinner. Although she was a little embarrassed that she wasn’t being more creative or offering more variety to her family, her simple dinner formula is an inspiring model to me when I feel too tired to cook anything.

“I’ll make what Peggy makes!” I think to myself when I am too tired to rally to make dinner. It works without fail. In half an hour the rice and meat are cooked, vegetables are steamed or roasted and dinner is served. Here’s how…

RICE…

• Measure 1/2 cup Lundberg Farms organic white rice and 1 cup of water in a small pot. (This makes about 1 1/2 cups of rice–double if you need additional rice.)
• Bring to a boil.
• Cover with a lid and set the timer for 15 minutes.
• When timer goes off DO NOT OPEN. Set timer for 15 more minutes.

VEGETABLES…

• Turn the oven on to 350 degrees or put a steamer basket in a pot with an inch of water and bring to a boil.
• Prep vegetables for roasting or steaming.
• Drizzle with olive oil.
• Steam or roast vegetables.

MEAT…

• Put olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Season meat, fish, chicken or shrimp with salt, pepper, onion salt, garlic salt and paprika.
• Pan fry until cooked.
• Serve with lemon or barbecue sauce on the side.

Dinner’s done. In record time. Without a big fuss. Without stress. Thanks to Peggy–who is doing an amazing job getting dinner on the table every night for her family.

The post Super Easy Dinner à la Peggy appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

This is a pretty funny video about how people react when you tell them you can’t eat gluten. It’s a little bit of a dig at the people with gluten intolerance (which is actually a serious medical condition for some people–but not someone who is eating the middle of an apple pie or doing it to lose weight!) but I think it is still super funny. The huge spread of wraps, panini and sandwiches and pie which all contain gluten is also super funny and pretty accurate.

Happy Friday!

(and thanks to HG for sending this to me!)

The post Fun Friday: What Happens When You Tell People You Can’t Eat Gluten Video appeared first on Our Gluten Free Family.

Mason Jar Salads and More: 50 Layered Lunches to Grab and Go

This is my take on a mason jar salad—using easy to find ingredients  that create a rainbow or vegetables. This one quart jar of salad is super satisfying and gives you 238% vitamin  A and 472% vitamin C and only 250 calories. (vitamin A and vitamin C are markers for the nutrient density of the food found at the bottom of food labels.) I figured the nutrient content out on My Fitness Pal (another great tool for those trying to track calories and nutritional information!)

I usually have the salad with a side of lentils and rice, a veggie burger or leftover chicken or shrimp. The salad itself is only 202 calories, so although it is a large volume of food, you really need to eat some carbohydrates and protein with it.

Rainbow Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• splash of plum vinegar (optional)
• salt – a generous sprinkle
• fresh pepper
• 1-2 carrots depending on size, sliced in thin rounds (1/3-1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoon red onion, sliced thin and chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 1/3 red pepper, diced into 1/2 inch dice
• 1/3 yellow pepper, diced into 1/2 inch dice
• 2 cups romaine lettuce pieces
• 1/4 cilantro

Directions:

1. In the bottom of a 1 quart mason jar, put olive oil, rice wine vinegar, plum vinegar, salt and pepper.
2. Layer the following chopped vegetables:
   -carrots
   -red onions
   -red pepper
   -yellow pepper
   -romaine lettuce
   -cilantro
3. Secure with lid.

To serve:

Shake the jar so that the dressing from the bottom  covers all the vegetables. Serve on a plate or bowl or eat right from the jar! I like to serve it on a plate—but if you are at work or on the go eat it right from the jar.

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