Leaving Las Vegas, with S'mores

Once again, I've disappeared for a bit. But you'll forgive me, won't you? This time it was so that I could move back to Alaska, which has been loads of work, but is inspiring all over again. Instead of sweating my buns off in Vegas, ruing the thought of even approaching the oven, now I get beachside campfires, glorious wild berries, a monthly local market to bake for and old friends to share with. In short, I have more motivation to bake and create than ever.

This month I've come up with one more cookie recipe for the Holiday book, no dairy, low fructose pudding, and have two great cake recipes in the works which just need some refining. My favorite achievement though has been polishing my recipe for truly nummy Graham Crackers. Yay! (Except that I can't stop eating them.) They're destined for the summer section of the forthcoming holiday book, right next to the corn syrup free marshmallows I perfected just before leaving Las Vegas. 

I've also tested a nut free version of my beloved chocolate chip cookies with truly glorious results. I might be persuaded to post that one here for everyone if there was enough interest... Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?

Till then, I'm off to dive head first into a patch of red huckleberries. God, I love them! I think red huckleberries deserve their own dessert. Don't you? For anyone Ketchikan way the first Saturday in August, I will be at the Blueberry Festival, possibly selling some miraculous new recipe full of glorious red huckleberries, selling and signing books and even peddling some baked goods. See you there!

What an awesome expo!

So, the GF Food Allergy Fest has now come and gone, but I have to say it was AMAZING! It was the first event presented by Living Without's Gluten Free and More magazine, but I'm certain no one could tell. They were so well organized, everyone was just amazing to work with, the variety and quality of businesses represented was top notch and every customer I interacted with seemed to be enjoying themselves. That last bit says so much about the quality of the expo. If this was their first effort, I can't wait to see what happens once they have even more experience.

The Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest will be making its way to Indianappolis in August and to Portland in September. If you possibly can, GO. Find your self at one of these amazing events. If I could, I would be at every one!

Thank you so much to all of you, not just the event organizers, but the other vendors, the volunteers, and especially the wonderful attendees who came out and celebrated with us. It could not have been the brilliant weekend that it was without a single one of you. Thank you so much!

Goodbye, my booth!

GF Food Allergy Fest Ticket Giveaway!

I can't believe how stealthily time is creeping toward the Gluten Free Fest in San Diego. With only 3 1/2 weeks leftI think it's about time I book a hotel room and GIVE AWAY SOME TICKETS! Don't you? So here's the deal.

I have 2 full weekend tickets to Living Without Magazine's Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest.
To enter, all you have to do is comment here or on my Facebook page. I will draw 2 winners at random on Sunday, April 13th, and announce the winners here and on FB. Winners will have one week to message me with their full names if it's not in their comment, and winners' tickets will be waiting for them at will call at the event.

Also check out:
My FB Page
Fest's FB Page
There's a list of speakers and classes on their FB page that you might want to check out.
Comment to win, cause I want to see you there!!!

I Want to Eat the Easter Bunny

Spring is in the air.
Well, at least it is here in Vegas. My poor husband is working in Minot and currently getting snowed on. Sorry babe! But down here it's different. I am warming up, watching the flowers bloom and nibbling away at beloved holiday figures. Can you blame me? I mean, who doesn't want to eat the easter bunny, or at least some sweet, edible effigy of the mythical creature? Right now the stores are full of bunnies made from chocolate, marshmallow, mint cream, gummies, you name it. Walking through target requires carrying a napkin to catch the oh-yum-I-wish-I-could-eat-that drool. Low carb living somehow starts to loose its appeal around major holidays.
So, to indulge? Or to diet? As usual, instead I choose to-the-kitchen!
This is one of my simple answers to sweets cravings - so simple you can hardly call it a recipe. But make it anyway. It's yummy. It's a little bit filling. And it won't give you a sugar crash, or destroy any dietary good intentions.

Coconut Cream Gelatin Bunnies
Yields about 36 small bunnies or similar shapes

Set the kettle on to boil some water
In a large bowl, pour out
1 Can (12oz/354mL) Stevia Sweetened Soda (I recommend Blue Sky Zero Ginger Ale, or any flavor that sounds good with a hint of coconut)
Sprinkle over the top of the soda
2 Tb Powdered Gelatin
Once your water is boiling, add to the soda
1/2 C (120mL) Boiling Water
Stir well and constantly until all of the gelatin is dissolved, then add
3/4 C (180mL) Coconut Cream
Again, stir until well combined
Pour into shaped molds or a large baking dish and chill for 3 hours or more to set
Once set, remove gently from molds, using a thin, butter knife to help if needed, or slice into servings if molds were not used
Store chilled in an airtight container

This recipe contains about 1g effective carbohydrate per 4 bunnies and should be safe for most diabetics and low carb dieters, but please know your own body and make your own judgement call.

Bunny nibbled. Mission accomplished.

Salsa on the Brain

Sometimes I just get stuck.

An idea will capture me, and my mind will churn and bubble and plan, and I simply will not be able to extract myself from it. I will experiment and create and obsess, but the one thing I can't seem to do is change the subject. Today I am jailed by visions of salsa, and quite frankly, I like it.

I love salsa, but I only started making my own in the last year, recently enough that I only had my own recipes for Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, a favorite of mine, and a flavorful, thick, fiery Habanero Hot Sauce, which I can't seem to live without. I took some of my tomatillo salsa to a get together this week and fell into salsa conversation with a friend over it. He talked about the recipes he'd tried and their plusses and minuses, and the brain started it's bubbling. I began thinking over the many flavors I've loved or loathed over the years, and I knew I had to have more. Two little recipes, however great, cannot quench the salsa lust.

So what am I doing now? I'm making salsa of course! What? I should be making dinner for my kids? But, salsa! It's past my bedtime? There's still this salsa, you see... It's 3 am? SALSA! The only down side is that I've no idea how I'm ever going to eat it all. But I'm going to love trying.

Happiness is turning this

into this.

So, like it or not, we can all look forward to a little more spice in our lives, or at least in my next book.

Work In Progress

Working hard on the HGGF Low Carb!

This week I'm testing lamb cakes, tasty emulsions, one hell of a soup (finished last night) a few pudding like treats, and continuing the wrap and brownie evolutions. Busy, busy, busy and it's all for you! 

Well, no, ok. It's for me too. I do get hungry every now and then. 

How freaking awesome is it that this is health food?

Throw in your two cents! What are you just dying to have both low carb and gluten free? Tell me in the comments and it just might make it into the book.

Seeking Low Carb, GF Brownie Perfection

  

Just in case you've never spent 5 minutes in the same room with me, I'll tell you something that everyone who has, already knows. I am a perfectionist.

By perfectionist, I don't mean, I'm meeting every goal, or I'm striving for excellence, or doing my personal best or any of that nonsense that was drilled into us in high school. No, I mean perfect-ionist. Some people will tell you, "there's no such thing as perfection," but I beg to differ. My most persuasive argument against this accusation is simply to feed the offending imperfectionist my Chocolate Butter Cake cupcakes, and that tends to convert them all on it's own. I have tasted perfection. 

Thanks to that taste I've developed for perfection, I'm also acutely aware of the imperfections in so many of my recipes. This recipe is NOT perfect. It's good. Satisfying. Enjoyable even. But perfect, it is not. I will continue to bake and re-bake, as I always do, in search of low carb brownie perfection. Meanwhile, here is the merely good and satisfying for you to enjoy at your leisure.

(This recipe is a part of my low carb GF diet project and calls for natural alternative sweeteners)

Low Carb Coconut Brownies

Yields one 8x8 pan of brownies or 9-12 servings

(Approximately 1-2.5 effective carbs per 1/9th depending upon your choice of cocoa brands)

Preheat Oven to 325*F/165*C

Dry Bowl:

Sift into bowl

   1C (86g) Cocoa Powder (I use Rapunzel. It can be hard to find, but it's sooo good, and ultra low in carbs too!)

Add, then whisk all together to combine

   1/2 C (40g) Desiccated Coconut

   1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

   1/2 tsp Salt

Mixer Bowl:

Cream together until well combined and almost fluffy

   1C (216g) Coconut Oil

   1/2 C (68g) Chicory Root Fiber (I used a brand called Just Like Sugar that I found at Whole Foods)

   1/4 C (49g) Erythritol (You could probably get away with a little less of this if you care to)

Scrape down the sides of the mixer and beat in 

   3 Large Eggs

   1 Tb Vanilla Extract

Slow the mixer to a stir and add in the dry ingredients a little at a time

Once they're stirred in, bring up the mixer speed and beat until well combined and uniform

8x8 Baking Dish:

Grease the bottom and sides of your baking dish lightly with a little oil or palm oil shortening

Spread the thick batter/dough** into the pan as evenly as possible

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center no longer appears damp and springs back when touched lightly 

Cool at least 10 minutes before attempting to slice, they will also taste more sweet the more you let them cool

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container

**Warning- Ridiculous Dawn Rant:

Seriously, what's up with brownie batter? I mean it's so bloody thick, you can hardly call it a batter. But on the other hand, it is a bit damp for a dough. So what is it really? Stiff batter? Damp dough? Maybe it's the missing batter-dough link, like a doubat or a badough... Yes, it must be a badough. 

Thanks for helping me to work through that. 

Livin' la vida Low Carb

To celebrate the new book idea (which I spent the whole morning working on), tada! A variation on my favorite low carb/paleo breakfast.

Fried eggs, over easy (usually, they went a little too long today, but were still good!)

Ripe Avocado

My homemade Habanero Mayonaise

A few, divine raspberries

And today as a treat, one of my brownie failures

Yum!

I rarely ever get tired of eggs in the morning, but I think the real secret to this is spicing them well and having a variety of accompanying sauce recipes to rotate through, which changes up the taste, texture and even nutritional profile. 

Try sprinkling eggs with sea salt and black pepper as soon as they're in the pan, then after you flip, sprinkle liberally with turmeric. It's awesome, savory, and way better than plain. And if you're looking for an extra kick of spice and/or nutrition, you can add cayenne, garam masala, and/or kelp powder at this point too. I know it sounds crazy, but I love it! Experiment with your eggs tomorrow morning, and see what you like best. Remember that if you go all out, you'll want something cooling to accompany the spice, so serve it with mayo, sour cream, yogurt or similar and enjoy.

I'm thinking of including my recipes for habanero sauce and mayo in a later post, but I have to measure things first! They're recipes I always seem to just throw together, so I'll have to work on it for you.

Happy Saturday!

Finally, a post, and a GIVEAWAY! Yay!

Well, I've been lazy so far this month! I can't believe this is my first post since January. But I swear there is a good reason, and it's not just that I got my brain wedged in another manga series (honest!). I've actually been really busy getting everything ready for my first big expo! Yes, I know I posted about this last time, but it's still awesome!

Which brings me to my news for today... I have 5 free tickets to said expo to give away. Yay! But you have to go visit me on Facebook to get in on the deal. If you're near the Phoenix area and even remotely free Saturday or Sunday the 22nd & 23rd, then go enter to win! Go on, get over there, shoo! And come see me at the author table!

Enter at www.facebook.com/TheHolyGrailofGlutenFree  May the GF force be with you!

Phoenix GFAF Expo

Details at gfafexpo.com

The Holy Grail is on it's way to it's first expo!

All you Phoenix Area GF'ers, mark your calendars, and come see us. There should be lots of GF sampling to do, classes, great companies for you to discover, and awesome, new things to purchase (like my book, available at the author table)! I'm really excited just to be in a place where everything is safe for me. That will be magical all by itself. In my head, I'm having a total Willy Wonka candy room moment, only without falling in the chocolate. Seriously, there is wow factor in the whole entirely GF setting. I'm so excited!

I'm still working out the details of our trip to PHX, but should have everything ready within the week. I'll pass any scrumptious new details as soon as I get them! Look forward to it. I'll see you there!

Birthday Party 99 Cent Kindle Sale!

We're celebrating here! It's a week full of anniversaries for us, of my diagnosis, of my first great recipe, two important birthdays, and while we celebrate today with kids and cake, you can too! This weekend, try out all the awesome recipes on Kindle, or use the kindle app for iPad or android, for only 99 cents! Still on sale next week too, for $1.99.
This is the one and only time this will happen, per amazon's rules, so be sure to take advantage.

The Holy Grail of Gluten Free is also coming soon to Nook and iBooks, but why wait?

Happy Birthday, Holy Grail!

Pound Cake, recipe from Holy Grail

Today is the day that started it all. 

If you're one of the 6 whole people who read the author's note in my book, then you already know the story, so I'll keep it short.

Today is Monkey 1's birthday. It was 4 years ago today that, in a fit of pre-party insanity, I started throwing random flours into a bowl with no rhyme, reason or recipe and through some kind of divine intervention, ended up with miraculously good vanilla cupcakes and my first GF recipe.

That recipe was the spark that ignited enough passion to create good foods and then, a good book. After a minor revision or two, it also became the vanilla butter cake recipe in my Holy Grail, and we still love it. It was shocking when Monkey 1 requested pound cake this year with extreme German chocolate for the party this weekend, because he's still forever begging for that first vanilla cake. If you haven't tried it yet, you should. Celebrate with us this week. We'll make it an official, GF holiday, the birth of the Holy Grail of Gluten Free.

Happy birthday to the boy and the cake and the obsession. May all three flourish.

Holiday Book is Progressing

The real reason it took me so long to get that last post up...

Carrot cake experiments! Ginger Orange Carrot for the win! This is one more for the forth coming holiday book. Look forward to it.

GF Fried Chicken Thighs of Awesomeness

Allergens: egg, corn

As promised, here's my simple, tasty GF, dairy free fried chicken recipe. As always you will find no dastardly rice or offending tapioca here, just pure, GF yum. This is my first time writing up a recipe this way, so if it's a little rough, please forgive me. :-)

What you'll need:
Boneless skinless chicken thighs
Corn Flour (note that this is different from corn starch and the two are not interchangeable)
Eggs
Water
Seasonings (salt, pepper and whatever else you like)
Frying oil (palm, olive or good old lard works best)
Heavy bottomed frying pan, preferably cast iron
Candy/frying thermometer
2 Shallow bowls
Skimmer or slotted spoon

Note on the meat:
Technically you could use any boneless, skinless cut of chicken here, but thighs are amazing and above anything they are incredibly forgiving. Cook a strip of breast one blink too long and it will magically go straight from awesome to, "omg, that's dry!" Thighs on the other hand, are not only more juicy and flavorful than breast-meat when done right, they will stay that way even if you leave them frying a little too long. Love them!

In one small bowl, whisk together well about (approximations are ok for this recipe)
   3/4-1C (90-120g) Corn Flour (Bob's Red Mill markets a GF one)
   Large Pinch of Salt
   Sprinkling of Black Pepper
   Any other desired spices (I usually sprinkle lightly with chili powder and garlic powder, but it's very flavor flexible, experiment with it and have fun!)

In another small bowl, lightly beat together
2 Large Eggs
About 2-3 Tb Water

Slice the thighs into strips or chunks, I usually cut them into about 4-5 strips each, but what ever floats your boat is ok by me.

Slap a thermometer on your frying pan according to the instructions that came with said thermometer.

Add oil to the pan to at least 1" deep, 1"-2" is better.

Heat over high heat to at least 350 F/175 C. Throughout the cooking, you will need to watch the temperature and adjust the heat to keep it between 350 F/175 C and 390 F/ 200 C, but anywhere in that range will work well.

For maximum crispiness you'll also want to set up a wire cooling rack on top of a towel or paper towels to catch the drips of oil.

One piece of chicken at a time, wiggle it around in the seasoned corn flour.

Then dip it into the eggs, wetting it all over, and allowing excess egg to drip off.

Roll it in the corn flour one more time, then lay it into the hot oil. Continue battering and adding strips of chicken to the oil, but never put in so many as to crowd them.

I like to flip the pieces over after a couple of minutes, but they'll come out alright even if you forget as long as the oil is deep enough. They are done once they are browned.

Skim out finished pieces and lay them on the wire rack to cool, leaving space between them for steam to escape without damping the breading of neighboring pieces.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to filter and store your oil once it's cooled. It can be used a few times for things like this, and reusing it cuts down on the cost of frying considerably.

What's For Dinner

Mmmmmm hm. I do love my chicken.
I'll post this super easy recipe tomorrow, look forward to it!

It's What's For Dinner

Mmmm... Sometimes it pays to be in a rush!

Quesadilla-esque, grilled sandwiches on my Tortilla Style Crepes. Yum! My favorite is uncured salami with fresh guacamole, mixed greens, some sneaky pepper jack for those who can, and a kiss of homemade habanero sauce. I love it!