I’ve had a big bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour in my pantry for months without a clue of what to do with it. Maybe it was more like no motivation to figure out what to do with it and get off my butt and bake something from scratch.

But I did it! And, it was amazing. I’m sharing the deliciousness with you here in a recipe I modified to incorporate my fresh off the farm zucchini I received last weekend in my CSA box. Note: the photos of the lovely lady holding is featured from the Sage Mountain Farm website to show the green zucchini used in this recipe. That’s not me, but that’s the look on my face when I open my CSA box at the Farmers Market to discover the seasonal surprises inside. The round variation of zucchini (Eight Ball maybe?) I used in this recipe can be substituted.

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Gluten Free/Lactose Free

What you’ll need:

• 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Raw Sugar
• 2 large Eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Fresh Pureed Apple (I used Gala but you can substitute for any sweet variety)
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Mexican Extract (You can substitute with other types)
• 2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 2 tsp. ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
• 2 cups finely grated Eightball Zucchini (You can substitute with other varieties)
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted Walnuts

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350º. Use convection if available. Grease one 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Use a spray of PAM to ensure it doesn’t stick. (For smaller loaves, use three 5 x 3-inch loaf pans. I personally avoid non-stick pans when ever possible because I do not like cooking on chemicals. I go old school like my Grandmothers and use a glass pan. A metal loaf pan would work well too.

Pre-prep: Peel and  section your apple removing seeds and stem. Using a food processor puree your apple or finely dice it, measure a half cup and set it aside. If you have full clove pieces use a mortar pestle or a mini food processor to grind them up, measure and set aside. Cut your zucchini into large pieces and grate them using a large food processor or hand grater. You’ll need about 2 1/2 large ones to make two cups. Chop the walnuts (you can put them in your mortar pestle or a plastic bag and pound them), measure and set aside.

In large glass or metal mixing bowl, cream vegetable oil, all sugar, eggs, and vanilla with and electric mixer until smooth. Adding your apple puree at the end. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and ground cloves. Mix it up on medium speed until completely combined. Gently stir in zucchini and nuts. Turn batter into prepared pans. Bake a 8 x 4-inch loaf for 55-65 minutes (convection bakes faster); 5 x 3-inch pans for 35-45 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Cool before slicing. I found that it was crumbly the first day and the bread begin to bind and become moister on day 2 and 3.

The results!

I wrote a review on Denny’s months ago and today I updated it with correct information. Why was it wrong? Because I did not read the allergy list myself, I relied on my server to translate it and help me make my food choices that day. Lesson learned, no matter how well intentioned others are, I am the best person to make educated food choices. No matter what food give you problems, you know your body and have hopefully educated yourself to learn as much as possible about your intolerance or allergy.

Tips:

• Read all food labels and never make assumptions
• Always ask for a gluten free menu AND allergens list when dining out
• If the restaurant does not carry them, talk to the person directly who is cooking your food (do not rely on the server to translate between you)
• Carry an allergy food list card and send it back with your order
• Always confirm that your dish is made per your specifications when they set it down in front of you (it’s often the finishing cooks that do not pay attention to  the special order and slap on the standard final touches, resulting in your dish coming out with a big piece of toast lopped on it)
• Suggest to your favorite restaurants how they can be allergy friendly, such as providing an allergens list or special menu

After considering my own eating habits I found that I’m not that far away from a vegan diet; I eat chicken and fish, but my elimination of lactose puts me at arms reach. I love vegetables and am interested in exploring new dishes.

I know I won’t give up sushi or the occasional savory chicken dish. And, I know it will be impossible to eat anywhere but home with both a vegan and wheat restriction. Part of the vegan staple is wheat and it’s mixed into many products. But, I also know I can do a little better. So here’s my shot at just that.

I call it Friend Lasagna because it won’t hurt my tummy, it’s made for sharing with friends and it’s planet friendly. I made the recipe up after referencing others and my own traditional meat and cheese lasagna recipe (God it was good, those were the days). I do have to say that my first shot at making vegan lasagna was pretty delish.

Friend Lasagna Recipe

Gluten free, lactose free, dairy free, vegan

Prep time: 2hrs

Serves: an entire family! 6-8 people

Ingredients:
Box of rice or other gluten free lasagna noodles
Red pasta sauce (use your favorite marinara recipe or grab a jar of high quality sauce, I like Mezzetta brand)
Can of sliced olives
Olive oil
6 Zucchini sliced lengthwise
1 Yellow bell pepper sliced lengthwise thin strips
1 Large beefsteak tomato thin full slices
Shredded soy cheese (I like Trader Joe’s)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Faux cheese sauce:
1 pack of firm tofu (I use non-GMO)
1/2c Tahini
3TBS Yellow miso
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
Allspice
Sea salt
Fresh parsley and thyme

Prep:
1. Sauté garlic, onion, parsley and thyme, 3TBS olive oil, on low heat until soft and aromatic.

2. Drain tofu, use a potato masher and a big bowl to break it up. Using a wood spoon slowly add sauté, tahini, salt, allspice and miso. Mix well and set aside.

3. Toss sliced zucchini and whole yellow bell pepper in olive oil and sea salt. Grill turning once for 5-10 mins or until char marks appear. Do not overcook. Thinly slice the cooked bell pepper into strips. Set aside.

4. Preheat oven an get out a large glass rectangular pan, oil bottom and spread 1/4c sauce. Read package and prepare noodles as instructed, most rice versions are not precooked. Layer noodles with 1/2 of faux cheese mixture, and a sprinkle of olives. Add another layer of Noodles, spot pasta sauce on noodles, add a single layer of zucchini and tomatoes, spread the rest of faux cheese over the tomatoes and sprinkle olives. Top layer; noodles, the rest of the pasta sauce (about 1 cup), yellow bell pepper strips, sprinkle one light layer of grated soy cheese, and the rest of the olives. Make sure the pasta sauce is spread evenly and there are no exposed, unsauced noodle edges. Salt.

5. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before cutting into it to allow it to set. That way it will keep its shape.

Serve with a light salad.

Friend Lasagna and Salad

Friend Lasagna and Salad

Ready for the Oven

Mezzetta All Natural Marinara Sauce mmm

Finding new grains to replace wheat is an adventure. Quinoa is an ancient grain “the gold of the Incas”. (Doesn’t that sound sophisticated?) It’s an amino acid-rich protein that is closely related to spinach, beets and, ummm, tumbleweeds. It’s essentially a seed that is cooked like rice. The texture is different than rice; it starts out looking like bird seed and plumps up into moist little sticky balls that bond together. Some describe it as having a smooth, nutty flavor. For me it is savory. It will absorb the taste of just about anything you mix with it.

Most importantly, quinoa is gluten free.

This morning I wanted to mix things up as I’m getting a bit tired of rice this week. Although it was a meal saver during last nights power outage! I discovered on the back of the box that you can make it in your rice cooker. Fast, easy, today’s lunch, score!

Easy Quinoa In Your Rice Cooker

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 Cup uncooked quinoa 2 parts water
2TBS Olive oil
3TBS Fresh chopped basil
Sea salt
Squeeze of fresh orange juice
2TBS Capers

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in your rice cooker and hit the on button. After it has completed cooking let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then fluff it with a spoon or fork. Salt to taste and be sure to mix it up to evenly disperse the flavors.  Serve hot or cold.

More Ideas:

• When served cold you might add some chopped olives and a squeeze of lemon. Zesty quinoa salad is great on warm days.
• Serve hot as a side dish with organic chicken, wild salmon or shrimp.
• Eat as a main vegetarian dish with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.
• Pile on top of your salad to add texture and interest.

Where to buy this grain: Trader Joes or Henry’s in the box, Henry’s from the bulk bin, many national grocery chains in the grains aisle where you’d find your rice. Online.

 Nutrients chart

These pics of the Hershey’s S’mores room from Danelle on Home Ever After sum up the experience.

I enjoy s’mores but don’t always have access or energy to deal with a campfire so I have an alternative delicious snack I came up with. It takes 1 minute to make, it’s office friendly, kid friendly and filling. Did you know dark chocolate has health benefits? In moderation of course. This is a creative way to get your healthy 1 piece of dark chocolate in per day.

PB Smores Recipe  

Peanut Butter Smores

Considerations: gluten free, dairy free, 50% organic

Ingredients:

Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa dark chocolate (contains cocoa butter and NO dairy)

S’moreables Graham Style Crackers by Kinnikinnick

Organic Creamy Peanut Butter from Trader Joe’s

How-to: Take a square of graham cracker, spread on 1 TBS of peanut butter, and top with a square of Lindt chocolate. Done. Yum.

Ingredients

If you do decide to fire up some traditional s’mores you’re in luck, marshmallows are generally gluten and dairy free. A go-to brand is Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows. 

Enjoy!

Last Saturday I pulled out my gluten/lactose free inventory out of the cupboard and begged my daughter to bake for me. She loves me after all and this is what we snacked on all afternoon.

• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies using Betty Crocker Mix and a splash of Mexican Vanilla
• I made an ice cream sandwich using Trader Joes Soy Vanilla Ice Cream between two warm cookies. mmmmm
• Gluten/lactose free carrot cupcakes with tofutti cream cheese frosting

Gluten and Lactose Free Ice Cream Sandwich

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten Free Carrot Cupcake w Lactose Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Resources:

GF Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

GF Carrot Cake Mix (you will need fresh shredded carrots too)

Izalia Bakes

I took a vacation to Loreto Mexico recently. As you can see from this snapshot from my hotel balcony it was beautiful! I tried sticking to my gluten free and lactose free diet throughout the entire trip. I was somewhat successful and learned a lot. Here are the basic things you’ll need to survive your diet restrictions in Mexico.

What You’ll Love

• Food is made fresh. This is not a culture of processed foods.
• Tropical fruit is commonplace. Papaya, mango and coconuts are readily available and served in salads, smoothies and side dishes.
• Corn tortillas are easy to come by.
• Many chile sauces, not all, do not contain wheat flour.
• Guacamole…need I say more.
• If all else fails you can live off of chips n’ salsa, and tequila.
• You can legally smuggle your own healthy snacks through customs as long as they are in the unopened, sealed manufacturing packaging. Suggest bringing nuts, bars and any other snacks you live on when there’s nothing else you can eat in site.

What Challenges To Expect

• Language barrier ordering in restaurants.
• Food allergies/intolerance is not the norm, for example you will not find many if any restaurants carrying gluten free menus or allergens lists. And, there is a general lack of understanding as to why you would order food this way.
• Special orders do not go off very well. There’s a certain way the food is made and any modification is ignored or not executed very well. See my pic of my chicken marsala in example.
• Food labels are hard to read. 1. because most are in Spanish, 2. inconsistency in allergens labeling.

Must-Know Spanish Translations

gluten = el gluten

wheat = trigo

lactose = la lactosa

milk = la leche

cheese = queso

cream = crema

allergy = alergia

salsa = sauce, not the type of salsa we refer to in the states. If you order a meal with salsa you will likely get a chile gravy containing stuff you can’t have like cream, wheat flour of even wheat germ oil  (aceite de germen de trigo). For fresh salsa to go with your chips ask for “salsa fresca”.

Look for these items on the back of labels and when ordering a meal in a restaurant specify:

Tengo una alergia al gluten. <insert food order> sin <insert item such as el gluten, y trigo>

Reading Labels

Reading labels can be challenging, especially when they are in Spanish. Using your key terms above you can hopefully select items off the shelf that do not typically contain unwanted ingredients. However, do not neglect to read labels on familiar products. Ingredients are often modified for other countries and as always, you just can never be sure until you check the label. I was so happy to find something I could snack on from the single little market in our hotel. Halfway through my honey Rice Chex mix I discovered it contained milk. Not a fun night. Here’s how to find gluten or lactose on labels in Spanish.

You’ll find many American products on the shelf written in English:

Mexican brand labels are challenging to read, and do not consistently provide ingredients or allergen lists:

American brands carry allergy info on labels in Spanish, “gluten” which translates to English and Spanish is clearly marked here:

What I Ate

Day 1

Ceviche

Tropical Fruit

El Heaven

Dinner Buffet:

• Rice, steamed vegetables, sea bass, sweet potatoes
• A taste of lobster with butter (just a taste, I can’t resist lobster)
• Mai thai, whiskey, a sip of wine
• Luna bar

Buffet Night Sweep Pototatoes

Breakfast

• Amaranth honey bar (I discovered these in a grain and spice store, they are made in Mexico City and saved me on the trip. Delish.)
• Sip coffee no cream, iced tea
• Taste beef empenada

Lunch

• Salad, guacamole, taste tuna sandwich, tiny taste goat cheese, tortilla chips, iced tea, rum pineapple, rum punch
• Potato chips, honey Chex Mix (milk, ate one wheat chip)

Chile Salsa

Dinner:

• Chips n salsa
• Pineapple, shrimp salad fruit dressing. See pic it was a beautiful dish.
• Chicken and mushrooms grilled, tomato sauce. Red sauce ( they use wheat germ oil in it, this “Italian sauce” doubles as their red chile sauce I later discovered)–this was the biggest fail of the trip. The modified dish I received had no sauce, a dried up piece of chicken and crispy mushrooms. See pic.
• Green tea

Shrimp Mango Salad Served In A Coconut

Chicken Marsala Fail

• Home made chorizo with eggs, fruit, retried black beans, salsa fresca, corn tortillas
• Coffee non dairy creamer sugar

Chorizo and Eggs for champions

Lunch

• Shrimp ceviche, guacamole n chips
• Tom Collins gin, soda lemon

Dinner

• Salad oil vinegar
• Almost ate a tri-tip (I reached my limit with the hassles of ordering at the restaurant and left without eating dinner that night. I know, not the most mature move but I’d had enough)

Shrimp Cocktail

Lobster out of the Sea of Cortez

• There weren’t many  choices so I cheated and ate a grilled chicken sandwich and fries (both full of gluten) at McDonald’s (I paid for it for days)

Amaranth and Honey Bars were a life saver

One of the major barriers for me to go gluten free was pizza. Pizza is more than just my favorite guilty pleasure; we have a well-established love affair that spans three decades. Despite the gnawing pain, chronic fatigue and other unmentionable digestive problems it caused, the thought of giving it up was unthinkable.

Luckily for me and my other gluten-challenged pizza addicts, gluten free pizza is starting to appear on several menus across San Diego including Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza , Leucadia Pizzeria and Z Pizza.

To say I was thrilled with this development would be an understatement. I had to go out immediately and taste test as many gluten free pizzas as possible. I started with Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza and Leucadia Pizzeria.  I have to admit, Leucadia pizza is one of my all-time favorites. The semi-sweet, fluffy original crust was almost worth the pain of eating gluten. I had high hopes. However, both of these restaurants disappointed me. They offered thin, cracker-like crusts that reminded me of a dehydrated cracker with cheese on it. While better than no pizza at all, I didn’t find either of these crust options to capture the essence of pizza.

Feeling somewhat pessimistic, I headed to my last stop on the pizza tour, Z Pizza. I think perhaps I have found the holy grail of gluten free pizza. The location in La Jolla looks like a small mom-and-pop pizza place but they are actually part of a national franchise with four San Diego locations. They only serve the gluten free crust option in a personal 10” size and the wait for preparation is around 20 minutes.

I would have waited well over an hour for this pizza. Still a thin crust, the texture is soft, doughy and buttery, like actual bread. You can order the pizza in a variety of designer flavors including barbecue and Thai or go with their more traditional pepperoni or cheese. In addition, Z Pizza offers organic and vegan options including vegan cheese for the lactose intolerant. Gluten free pizzas at Z Pizza run about $12 – $15.

Meet Our Guest Blogger:

Amanda Sounart is a health care writer and former fitness journalist. She has been gluten free for four months after 10 years of stomach pain and several rounds of misdiagnosis. She maintains a gluten free blog, Mostly Gluten Free, as well as a dating blog, Slightly Serious. Follow Amanda on twitter @mostlyglutenfre

Lentils and rice might not sound very exciting but I’m telling you, you will be hooked. This is how my addiction began. The cafeteria in my building where I try not to eat at too often serves this dish. One of ummmm, none other, that I can eat off the menu given my gluten and lactose free requirements. I tried it one day and my avoidance soon turned into a once per week visit. Three words to describe it: healthy, fresh, and filling.

Up to the point of sitting down to write this I knew nothing about the origins of this dish. In summary:

• It’s Middle Eastern (see I’m exotic)
• It’s a meal staple (and practical, my Grandma would be proud)
• It can be served hot or cold, as the main course or a side dish (the ninja of beans and rice)
• Traditionally served with pita bread (not gluten free, skip that, who likes cardboard bread anyway?)

I experimented making this at home one weekend and my family loved it. My co-workers are now making frequent visits to the cafeteria because I got them hooked too. I think it’s that combination of hot and cold, plus savory that does it. The last batch I made was amazing and i can say that I’ve perfected my recipe for my taste. So you’re about to get mujadara with a little bit of Mexican, American, +yuppy food snob. Do not expect the traditional recipe but it’s close.

Mujadara

Servings 4

1 cup of brown lentils

1 cup of brown rice (the fat starchy kind)

1 tsp cumin

1 garlic clove

sea salt

white pepper (sub fresh ground black)

a bay leaf

1/8 cup good olive oil or sunflower oil (no substitute, a cheap oil will ruin the flavor)

1/2 diced red onion or 1 leek thinly sliced (white part)

Prep:

1. Soak the lentils in water over night. Put them in a large pot, in water (follow the directions on the bag, I fill the water about a half inch above the beans), add oil, bay leaf, garlic clove, 1 tbs sea salt. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Add rice, 2 cups of water, cumin and white pepper to the pot and simmer 20minutes.
3. Caramelize the onions in olive oil. This technique just means cook it on medium heat and stir it frequently until the onion is transparent and slightly browned, not charred. Add it to the pot, stir and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, ensure the rice isn’t hard and you’re all done. The more cumin and spices you use, the less salt you’ll need. And keep in mind you’ll be balancing the salt level with the salsa topping.

Salsa Topping

This is where the magic happens. Always store and prepare this separately from your mujadara.

1-2 medium to large diced tomatoes

1/8 cup diced parsley

1/2 chopped cucumber

1/4 of a finely diced red onion (sub white or yellow)

squeeze of lemon

1-2 sliced avocados

Prep:

Mix together and serve on top of hot mujadara with slices of avocado. You can play with different toppings. I also like:

• Olive oil, tomato and basil
• Tomato, onion, cucumber and cilantro
• Tomato, green onion, avacado

The cost will put you out about $5 and it will feed you for a week. It is protein rich however if you need animal in your food this would be great topped with grilled chicken. Make that grilled cage free, hormone free, organic chicken if you don’t want to get kicked off the food snob wagon. Enjoy.

Dessert is a challenge when you’re gluten free, and to add to that lactose intolerant. The only option I’m often left with in a restaurant is sorbet. I hate sorbet! So, I save my sweet tooth for my own kitchen where I whip together cakes, cupcakes and muffins.

I love cooking but I’ll admit that I’m not great at baking. It’s too exact, takes too long, it’s messy, plus becomes more complicated with gluten free flours. Cake batter is all about texture which requires mixing different GF flour to get the right one down. I prefer someone else do that for me. When I crave dessert I grab a box of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Cake Mix. I heart cake in a box! It takes less than ten minutes to mix and throw in the oven. I also appreciate cooking from home because I can control the ingredients by substituting milk based ingredients for water, soy milk, or vegan margarine (I like Nucoa it is milk, casein, and whey free). Among the flavor choices chocolate wins over vanilla because it has stronger flavor to cover up the slightly off taste of the GF flour. The Bob’s Red Mill cake texture is light and a bit spongy, yet it holds up well and does not turn into crumbs as many GF flour products do. It’s a favorite and so is Betty Crocker’s great gluten free yellow cake mix. Betty Crocker is available in mainstream grocery store baking aisles, where Bob’s is more of a specialty store item.

If you’re looking for texture there are a lot of options out there for vegetable based recipes, including my favorite carrot cake. Since I avoid baking from scratch, I have a box of Simply Organic Carrot Cake mix in my cupboard waiting for me to try. I have to warn you, my fellow lazy bakers, that it calls for fresh shredded carrot. I don’t care to cut my finger so I’ll pick up a bag of shredded carrots at the store. Bonus – it’s also organic. My carrots will be too.

These products can be pricey, ranging as much as$6-8 a box off the shelf. I order in bulk from Amazon to get the best deal.

What about frosting?

Most pre-made frosting products are gluten free and labeled accordingly. I don’t care for grocery store frosting. I think this is the element that really makes the cake. The best frosting is homemade. I’ve been experimenting with milk free recipes like Tofutti cream cheese frosting and powdered sugar bases. I haven’t gotten the texture right and the powdered sugar recipes come out too sweet for my taste. If you have a favorite gluten free, lactose free recipe for frosting please share. This is the part I won’t laze out on.