Chocolate Banana Strawberry Dairy-Free Milkshake

I used to go to Friendly's (ice cream restaurant) and think nothing of ordering a big, frosty chocolate milkshake. That was back in the days when I ate dairy. Now, if I want that milkshake thrill, I can create it right in my own kitchen and it tastes just like the ol' dairy-filled chocolate milkshakes I used to order from Friendly's. Except that when I'm finished drinking it, the mustache I wipe doesn't have a stitch of dairy in it!

Chocolate Banana Strawberry Milkshake
Click here for printable recipe

servings: makes one large glass

1 cup alternative milk (I used Trader Joe's Unsweetened Soymilk)
3 pitted dates
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 frozen banana
6 strawberries
1 tsp vanilla
2 ice cubes

Combine all in blender and whir. Drink immediately. When finished, wipe mustache.

What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

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Interesting Short Video about Celiac Disease

I'm not usually in the habit of posting about anything other than food, but this video of Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo Clinic caught my attention. I stumbled on it while visiting a number of different blogs. It is short and has information that is important for Celiacs and non-Celiacs alike. It is based on a study done by the Mayo Clinic.

Two important points that I took away from the video - Celiac is much more common now than it was 50 years ago. Though there isn't an explanation yet for this, the doctor suggests that the reasons for it becoming so much more common than it was 50 years ago need to be explored. He also explains that, based on the findings of the research, there is a serious impact on survival for Silent Celiacs (or undiagnosed Celiacs) who have no symptoms. The doctor explains that the research points to serious public health implications. Where we now routinely expect to have our cholesterol and blood pressure tested, Celiac should become much more routinely tested in the general population.

When I was diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago, 1 in 133 people were found to have Celiac. Today, 1 in 100 have Celiac, as opposed to 1 in 700 in 1950!

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Tempeh Sausage & Tofu Ricotta Lasagna

Making lasagna, in my world, is a major production. I don't think I make it more than a couple of times a year, but the end result is so worth it.

My inspiration for this recipe comes from numerous sources. First, I retrieved my old notebook of food-stained index cards and found my much-loved family lasagna recipe. Back in the days when I was eating meat, this was my go-to lasagna recipe, always a crowd-pleaser.

Today, where it called for a ricotta-based cheese filling, I subbed a Tofu Ricotta filling, modified from a Basil Tofu Ricotta recipe in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan With A Vengeance cookbook (LOVE this cookbook!). I also added homemade Vegan Parmesan "cheeze" to my Tofu Ricotta. I got the recipe from a FABULOUS book called Go Dairy Free. I've seen this recipe on many websites, but I would highly recommend you add this book to your library. Within a week of owning it, I made something like 7 recipes from it.

Where it called for a tomato meat sauce, I made my own marinara sauce.

Instead of putting meat in the tomato sauce, per the original family recipe, I used a recipe for Tempeh Sausage Crumbles, also from VWAV.

And last, I added a Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese.

We've been working like crazy this past week, and dinner has been a lot of catch as catch can. Today, I was determined to make a home-cooked meal and lasagna seemed the perfect ticket. Not only did we enjoy it for dinner this evening, but we have enough left over for three meals. It's already wrapped and in the freezer. Now that's what I call a good deal.

Tempeh Sausage & Tofu Ricotta Lasagna

(Printable recipe)

1. Tofu Ricotta "Cheese" filling:

1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup vegan parmesan (see recipe below)
1 8 oz. container Tofutti cream cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
S&P to taste

Crumble tofu into a medium-sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients and combine well with hands.

2. Tempeh Sausage Crumbles

1 8 oz package soy tempeh, crumbled
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp wheat-free tamari
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Put the tempeh into a saucepan, add water until almost covered. Simmer until the water is almost completely absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Drain the remaining water and add the rest of the ingredients, cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

3. Marinara Sauce:

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 25 oz. jar marinara sauce
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Fire-roasted)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Using a stockpot, saute the onion and green pepper in the olive oil until wilted. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or longer if you have time).

4. Vegan Parmesan

1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup walnuts

Combine all in food processor and blend, using the S blade.

5. Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese, sliced as thin as possible

6. Noodles:

1 box Tinkayada (or your fave) gluten free lasagna

Cook in large pot of salted water. Deliberately reduce cooking time to half the amount stated on the box. It will be VERY al dente. Don't worry - it will finish cooking in the oven.

When you drain the pasta, run very cold water over it to stop the cooking. Let drain in colander until you are ready to assemble the lasagna. When you take the noodles out of the colander to layer in the lasagna, wipe excess water off to keep lasagna from getting watery.

I assembled the lasagna in the following order:

sauce
noodles (3 to a layer)
sauce
tofu ricotta
tempeh sausage crumbles
vegan mozzarella
noodles (3 to a layer)
sauce
tofu ricotta
tempeh sausage crumbles
vegan mozzarella
sauce
noodles
sauce

Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Tip:
Use your hands to plop the tofu ricotta onto the lasagna. When you have enough to make a decent layer, use your fingers to spread it out as much as possible.

Yes, I know, it seems like a huge production. It is. But when you're in the mood for lasagna, this does the trick big-time.

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Gluten Free English Muffins

Does the picture of this gluten free English Muffin make you want to jump up and click your heels? It made my little gluten free heart flutter like crazy. I usually reserve that for when my husband (yes, still, after 15 years) walks into the room, but I made an exception for these babies.

Pre-Celiac, I often used to wake up in the middle of the night STARVING. I literally would get out of bed, 3 AM, shuffle to the kitchen, and toast either a piece of pita or an English muffin. I'd fill all the little crispy, toasted nooks and crannies with butter and scoff it down, then go back to bed and sleep until breakfast when I would usually wake up STARVING again. You know the drill. Who knew at that time that nothing I was eating was being digested?!

I've been searching since January '06 for an English Muffin, commercially baked or made in my kitchen, to take the place of the old "nooks and crannies" English Muffin of my past. I'm happy to say that this fits the bill. It has no aftertaste, it isn't gritty, in fact, it is downright delicious. I had to stop myself after eating two of them.

After I filled the English muffin tins with the dough and before it rose for 30 minutes:


And here's a baked English Muffin split in half:


Though the original recipe calls for using hamburger bun muffin pans, I used English Muffin tin rings that I ordered from King Arthur's website. You can also find them here. And the least expensive option is to order them from a dealer on Ebay.

Gluten Free English Muffins
adapted by Ellen Allard from Gluten Free Sox Fan who adapted it from Annalise Roberts who created the recipe (Annalise gets the biggest thanks - if you're not familiar with her cookbooks, run, really fast, and buy this one or this one and/or visit her website!)
Makes 6 English Muffins

(click here for printable recipe)

1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 scant tbsp quick rise yeast (I used one whole packet)
1 tsp canola oil
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp warm water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin rings with nonstick spray and dust with rice flour.

Mix dry ingredients in bowl of mixer.

Add oil and water and mix until just blended, scraping down the sides to make sure you incorporate all of the dough. Then beat on high for another two minutes.

Spoon dough into the tin rings (see note below for tip on how to do this). Cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes.

Bake for 15 minutes. Be prepared: they will not be browned on the top, but they will be browned on the bottom.

IMPORTANT: Let cool before splitting and eating (delicious untoasted or toasted).

NOTE: I used an ice cream scoop (like this) to drop the dough into the tin rings. Then I sprayed my fingertips (multiple times) with nonstick spray and patted the dough so that it filled the entire round.

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Gluten Free Reviews

While traveling on Cape Cod, we had the good fortune to try some gluten free products from Good Ju Ju Bakery. Yes, dear readers, the roll pictured above, Good Ju Ju Bakery's GF dinner roll, tastes just like the rolls we used to eat pre-Celiac. I practically cried when I bit into this crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside delicious dinner roll.

The good news: Judith Mann, the owner of the company, has an agreement with Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, NY. They will be taking over production of her fabulous GF products, with the aim of making them available on a much more national basis. The name of this new line of gluten free baked goods will be Do Goodie. If places like Whole Foods do their homework, after they get hip and carry Breads From Anna in every store they own, they'll add Do Goodie to their shelves. Keep your eyes peeled!

Meanwhile, if you happen to be on Cape Cod, you can purchase Good Ju Ju Bakery products from Ring Brothers Marketplace in South Dennis, MA. The Windfall Market in Falmouth used to carry them, but has discontinued doing so. I stopped by there this morning and suggested that they strongly reconsider bringing the line back into their store AND that they begin carrying Breads From Anna (I'm partial - I love her breads - they're all fabulous!).


Speaking of the Windfall Market, this is another NOT-TO-BE-MISSED stop if you're on Cape Cod and looking for a market that sells gluten free packaged foods (dry goods and frozen). Though a medium-sized market, their selection is vast. Everything you could possibly need, from a gluten free perspective, can be found at Windfall.

I was so excited to find that Windfall carries the Schar line of baked goods. I'd heard and read about Schar, but never tasted them. They're excellent. So far, I've tasted the Chocolate-Dipped cookies (reminded me of Pepperidge Farm cookies) and the Table Crackers - they were good on their own, but I'll love having some hummus spread on them for today's lunch.



And last but not least, let me tell you about yesterday's lunch on Martha's Vineyard. We took the ferry to Vineyard Haven and were picked up by the Vineyard Haven Public Library Children's librarian. After performing a morning children's concert, we had a little time before we had to catch the 2:30 ferry back to Woods Hole. We poked around Vineyard Haven for a little bit. They have an absolutely kick-ass kitchen store. I bought a triple french bread pan and will use it to bake some gluten free baguettes this weekend.

For lunch, we wanted to eat at the Art Cliff Diner, reputed to be an excellent stop for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan dining, but the wait was too long. And forget about the Black Dog Tavern. We could've been seated, but between you and me, their gluten free options are less than optimal. And forget about it if you're vegetarian or vegan. So, instead we wandered into a place called Tropical Restaurant. Bingo! I ordered a custom-designed lunch - it wasn't on the menu, but all the items were on the menu in some form or another. So, after asking questions that helped me figure out what was safe to eat, I ordered white rice with black beans and grilled veggies and homefries. It was perfect.

What did I learn? Sometimes even the most unsuspecting restaurants can be just what you're looking for, so be open to the possibilities. That actually is a good maxim for just about anything in life, don't you think?

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Gluten-Free Grilled Cornbread Muffin

Prior to being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, my husband and I had a weekly Sunday morning ritual. We would head out to our favorite restaurant and leisurely eat breakfast while reading the paper. I always ordered the same thing. This restaurant had huge homemade muffins that they would split and grill. My favorite was cornbread. I loved the buttery, crispy top and would save that part for last.

Well, this morning, though it wasn't Sunday, I relived that delicious memory. A few days ago, I made a {...} batch of cornbread using
Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin mix. The results: excellent and easily veganized.

Ellen's Homemade Cornbread

One package Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix
1 cup unsweetened rice milk
3 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 cup frozen corn kernels (roasted is lovely)
1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 tbsp melted butter (Earth Balance is vegan)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8" square pan.

Pour the cornbread mix into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the rice milk, maple syrup, corn kernels, vegetable oil, and adobo sauce. Add the wet ingredients to the cornbread mix. Do not overmix.

Pour into the greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

After they cooled and I took my first bite, I found them a bit wet. I found that they improved after sitting on the counter (wrapped) for a few days. Gave them a chance to dry out a bit. This morning, two days after I baked the cornbread, I took a few pieces of the cornbread, split them in half horizontally, spread some Earth Balance butter on them, and grilled them butter side down in a cast iron pan until crisp.

Me, a cup of tea, and my grilled cornbread muffin. Can't get much better than that!

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