Amaretto Pear Cobbler (Gluten Free)

You can use just about any fruit with this recipe but I was feeling like the winter weather meant I needed to go with the something like apple or pear... in the summertime I could see it as a cobbler with nectarines, peaches or berries...

Amaretto Pear Cobbler

• 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cane sugar 
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 Tablespoons soft butter
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg

For filling: 

• 3 cups fruit (in this case I used pears)
• 1 tablespoon amaretto liquor
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup cane sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish.

2. In a large bowl mix brown rice flour, potato flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, cane sugar, and sea salt.

3. Add soft butter and mix. 

4. In a small bowl beat buttermilk with egg and then add to batter mix. Mix till combined.

5. Mix cornstarch with sugar and then toss sliced up fruit till coated. You can prepare the fruit to your own preference. I used peeled and sliced pears in this instance. 

6. Drizzle mix with amaretto liquor and toss. 

7. Spoon batter into greased casserole dish until bottom is covered. Gently add fruit filling. 

8. Spoon remaining filling on top of fruit. Sprinkle top with 1-2 tablespoons of cane sugar, this will give the top a sugary sparkle. 

9. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

10. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Excellent with a side of home whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

xoxo- Iris

Quick Buttermilk Fresh Baked Sweet Sorghum Bread (Gluten Free)

I decided if I ever owned a Cafe that my guests would be treated to a warm basket of mini loafs of this bread with soft butter. I can think of no more welcoming way to say to my guests "you have entered a gluten free zone and it is delicious!"

This was actually my first foray into baking for Sweet Sorghum Flour and I wasn't sure what to expect. I tried googling descriptions of the taste and came up empty handed. So to clarify it tastes a bit like a mild sweet corn. In the nutritional scheme of things Sorghum flour is higher in protein than rice flour but if you are using rice flour then brown rice is nutritionally superior to white, higher in protein and lower in calories.

Quick Buttermilk Sweet White Sorghum Bread

• 1 cup White Sweet Sorghum Flour
• 3/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1/4 cup Potato Flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (if your buttermilk is thicker you may need an additional 1/4 cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3 x 8 bread pan with either butter, shortening or a cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients flours through salt and mix thoroughly. 

3. In a smaller bowl combine buttermilk, egg and oil and beat. 

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix gently till just combined.

5. Immediately transfer into prepared pan. I find if you wait too long the dry ingredients will start to absorb the moisture so you want to do this immediately to achieve the nicest shape. 

6. Place in preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until the top of the loaf is a dark golden and when you look at the side of the loaf you can see that it has turned golden too. If your loaf is too dark on top and seems light on the side you can cover the top once it is par baked and continue to bake. This will allow the sides to darken and not over brown the top. 

7. Remove baked loaf from the oven and permit to cool for about 20 minutes before removing from pan and slicing. 

I loved this loaf fresh from the oven with a generous smear of butter. It tastes like a very delicate corn bread and satisfies all cravings for fresh baked bread. This bread would be great with jam or perhaps a nice creamy brie cheese. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits!

I've never exactly understood the whole idea behind gravy and biscuits... but I do love biscuits with butter or jam or used to soak up a lovely golden egg yolk, or even as the foundation for delicious summertime strawberry shortcake. It's definitely on the top of my most missed gluten foods. Well, not anymore!!

Look how golden and beautiful on the bottom and fluffy inside these are!!

I'm very pleased to announce that missing biscuits is now a thing of the past! And the ultra good news is this is a super easy recipe as well.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

• 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon cane sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold butter
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. I used a food processor but you can also use a pastry cutter. Combine all dry ingredients and process in food processor until thoroughly combined.

3. Add cubed cold butter and pulse till meal consistency is achieved. 

4. Add buttermilk and stir till just combined.

5. Flour cutting board or countertop with brown rice flour. Dump biscuit dough out onto surface, it will be wet, dust with more brown rice flour to make it easier to work with. 

6. Do not using a rolling pin! Use your hands to lightly pat out dough to 1 inch thick and then using a biscuit cutter or just a glass cut out circular biscuits.

7. Place biscuits onto un-greased baking sheet. I used a silipat for this but you can parchment paper or just a decent baking sheet.

8. Bake in oven for approximately 15 minutes, you are looking to achieve a golden brown on the bottom and just a lightly golden top. 

9. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, this will allow you to remove them from the baking sheet easier and not have them crumble. 

10. Serve warm as you wish! I also found these reheated very nicely as it makes about a dozen biscuits and I certainly can't eat 12 biscuits in a sitting. haha!

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Filled generously with butter and drizzled with honey!! 

Matza/Masa Ball Soup Gluten Free Recipe

I LOVE matza ball soup but when I tried to make it with gluten free crackers they were a bit dense. The flavor wasn't bad but the texture was all off. As a vegetarian I have not had the pleasure of enjoying a bowl of matza ball soup at Canter's but my own version back in my wheat eating days was certainly delightful.

I made these dumplings with a slightly Mexican themed broth however I think that you could probably use whatever broth you like and it would definitely effect the overall tone of the dish. You can taste the corn of the masa but primarily they are like a nice light matza ball that soaks up all the heartiness of the broth in which it is served.

Matza/Masa Ball Soup

• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup masa flour

1. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. 

2. In a small size bowl mix the egg yolks with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and melted butter. I was staying simple with this but if you want a more matza ball style dumpling you could add some finely diced parsley too, about a tablespoon. 

3. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl till soft peaks form. 

4. Alternately fold in the egg yolk mix and the masa to the egg whites. You want to mix thoroughly but not lose the fluffiness that separately beating the egg white imparts on the dumplings. 

5. Heat your broth... I used a tomato vegetable based broth and added a little cumin and bay leaf but this works in an onion or mushroom broth, for meat eaters you could use a chicken soup base. 

6. Once the broth is at a low boil, lower heat. Shape dumplings by rolling into 1 inch balls and setting aside on a plate. 

7. Drop dumplings into heated broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings rise to the top. 

8. Turn off heat and let sit for approximately 15 minutes. The soup should still be warm but its nice to let the dumplings really soak up some of the flavor from the broth without overcooking them. 

You can serve warm right away or reheat later, it keeps very nicely and the dumpling do not get soggy in the broth. They should be firm but tender and porous enough to really soak up the flavors from your broth. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Allergies, Sensitivities, Celiacs... oh MY!

May is Celiac's Disease Awareness Month. I follow a few other gluten free bloggers, some who choose to be gluten free because of Celiacs and others because of other medical necessities. I've never been medically diagnosed with Celiac's, the blood antibody test was inconclusive for me because I had already eliminated wheat from my diet a year pior to being tested. But trust me wheat and me we are not friends, the fine flora and I are mortal enemies in fact!

I guess on some level getting some diagnosis on paper would be some sort of affirmation for me but the only confirmation I need really is how I feel. I once accidentally without knowing it ate some wheat flour in some candy and was sick for about a week after, when I found out that their was wheat in the candy a part of me was relieved to know that my symptoms were not psychosomatic.  I guess that was kind of like my unscientific diagnosis.

For some reason though this juxtaposition of "wheat sensitivity" to Celiac's Disease reminds me of a conversation I had once with my doctor. I'm like the Queen of sensitivity over here, antibiotics and most pain medications make me projectile vomit, I once had an endoscopy in which I was unsuccessfully sedated, there is a reason my high school drug experimentation was limited to marijuana.

However, in the medical world, sensitivity or adverse reactions are not regarded with the same fear that allergies are and here is why:

My doctor explained to me allergies are a histamine reaction that causes swelling, inflammation, can inhibit breathing and can cause death, quickly. So if you say to a doctor you are allergic to something they have to take it VERY seriously.

I understand this, though I mentally compare my actual allergy to pineapple to my sensitivity to wheat. Pineapple gives me hives, it also for some reason makes me irritable, I love the flavor but sadly can not eat the stuff! However, one benedryl later my symptoms rapidly subside. Wheat on the other hand I won't even realize has snuck into something or cross contaminated my food until I am doubled over half an hour later with pain in my stomach that lasts about two weeks like someone socked me in the stomach as hard as they can.  I'd take my allergy any day over my sensitivity.

This is me specifically, of course, allergies can be life threatening so I in no way mean to down play the seriousness of allergies. I do however think that its unfortunate that sensitivities are not regarded with the same respect. It essentially has left me resorting to lying at the doctors office "I am allergic to certain antibiotics." If further questioned I like to tell them the story of how when I got my wisdom teeth out the doctor assured me that these antibiotics would be fine and then I had to suffer through days of projectile vomiting out of a mouth that hardly would open. Yes, gross! But I think it drives my point home.

So now back to Celiacs versus Wheat/Gluten Sensitivity.

Here is the scientific difference. Those with Celiac's disease have an autoimmune reaction to wheat/gluten consumption that leads their body to attack itself, specifically the lining in the small intestine. This damage over time leads to a myriad of problem including malnutrition and the forms in which that effects your overall health.

Wheat/gluten sensitivity is where, as apposed to the body attacking itself, the body attacks the wheat/gluten protein as a toxic invader. The bodies reaction is to become inflamed, specifically throughout the digestive tract. There has not been enough research on this to determine what the long term effects of this on your body would be. I supposed it really would depend on how long you've been living with these symptoms and their severity.

Both have very similar body reactions and can manifest themselves in similar symptomatic ways in your body. Remember IBS? yeah, thats probably Celiacs or a wheat sensitivity...

I am not someone that preaches a gluten free lifestyle to the masses and the estimates of how many in the population are effected dramatically varies from 5% to 50%.

I can however speak to my own personal experience and the experiences of those around me.

I first eliminated wheat from my diet in November of 2011 at the recommendation of a friend/acupuncturist who was trying to assist me with my severe and sudden onset of dysphagia.

The reduction of my symptoms was dramatic enough for me to stay the course. What began to happen though was very interesting, my overall digestive health improved fairly quickly, my skin completely cleared up and I lost about 50lbs. My body was definitely appreciating the change. Shortly after this several friends of mine decided to become gluten free, one was a long time severe heart burn sufferer. Within a week of eliminating wheat from his diet he had no heart burn, reintroduction of wheat and bam symptoms returned.

My other friend had eliminated wheat on a whim because his cholesterol was high, weeks after eliminating wheat from his diet he had lost 15lbs and his cholesterol levels dropped immediately. He expressed to me that his symptoms were not so dramatic when he ate wheat again though overall he felt better when he wasn't.

Conversely I have some friends who complain to me about symptoms that I feel SOOOOOO sure would be appeased through a diet with wheat elimination but haven't successfully tried it out. And really its easy if it doesn't make you feel better then you can go back to your wheat.

I guess the point is for me its irrelevant, to get the an actual diagnosis would be just validation, somewhere in me its a validation I want but no matter what I'll be spending the rest of my life wheat and gluten free. I know what it does to me and its important to not live your life sick.

xoxo - Iris