The Un-Gluten Guy (My Gluten Free Recipes & GF Adventures)

This year I choose to do something different.  Every year I'm working, shopping and then come Thanksgiving Day I'm off of work.  And you know what I do - wake up early, cook and cook and cook and cook.  We eat and then spend way too much time cleaning up.  By the time friday rolls around its back to work and I'm tired. And what is the best part of Thanksgiving?  Leftovers! So this year I decided to eat leftovers for Thanksgiving.  No cooking, no cleaning.  Just eating, watching football, more eating, playing football, drinking and lots of dessert. SUNDAY On Sunday I made the ice creams - cinnamon and mint chocolate chip. For the Philadelphia Style Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Mix together 2 cups 2% milk, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp peppermint extract, 1 tsp GF vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt.  Place into ice cream maker.  Once it is done stir in 1 cup of mini chips and store in freezer For the Cinnamon Ice Cream Mix 1 1/2 Cups of half & half

Whiskey, scotch, bourbon.  So you have Irish Whiskey, Scotch from Scotland, Canadian Whiskey and American Bourbon.  Depending on where and who determines if it is made from corn, barley, rye or wheat.  There is lies the dilemma for us celiacs or those sensitive to gluten.  On the other hand distillation is supposed to get rid of the gluten proteins and therefore be safe for those who have to avoid gluten.  Search online and you will find varying opinions of which ones are safe and who had reactions to what. I have had Johnnie Walker black and blue without any difficulties or symptoms.  I have been reluctant to go on a taste testing and risk a reaction. Then I found Queen Jennie Sorghum Whiskey made by  Old Sugar Distillery  in Madison, WI.  They opened in 2010.  They produce a Honey Liqueur, Cane & Abe Rum, Ouzo and their Queen Jennie Whiskey.  You can read an article in the Chicago Tribune about Nathan Greenawalt, the man behind the Distillery, in their  2012 post . So ho

With the holidays coming up one thing that many people may remember or be familiar with is making a Gingerbread House.   Some years we have done really well and completed a sturdy looking house while other years after walls falling in the house would be devoured prior to completing construction. In any event it has been a few years since we have made a Gingerbread House at home because we have not found a GF kit.  Pete Bronski of No Gluten No Problem  has made one from scratch and you can find the recipe on his site ( Bronski Gingerbread House ). My wife and daughter were up in Orange County and found a GF bakery called  Sensitive Sweets .  And what did they find while they were there?  You guessed it - A GF Gingerbread House Kit. It is GF, Dairy free, Nut free, Egg free and Soy free.  They got the basic version for 30 dollars.  It includes the walls, roof, icing and some plastic decorations - the deluxe has all of the gumdrops and other candies. You can order online an

I have been busy but I need to update the site with some new recipes - they are coming.  In the meantime I have found a bunch of new products that I wanted to share. I was in the local Whole Foods when I saw the pancake mix from  Glutino.   I thought this is going to be the greatest thing for camping.  All you have to do is add water, shake and pour.  I haven't made it yet so i'll report back when I do.  Keep this in mind when you are camping or on the road. Way Better Snacks  I have found many places.  They are certified GF.  I really like their Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips.  These are sprouted snacks made with corn, flax seed, quinoa, daikon radish, chia seed, broccoli seed.  Allergy info:  Made in a facility that uses soy, sesame, flaxseed and dairy.  They are super good with a nice little kick.  They are good plain but even better with some fresh guacamole. Chocolate.   Justin's  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are so good.  Certified GF and delicious.  I ke

Pizza. One of the things we GF folk miss is pizza, grabbing a slice, ordering a pie, delivery pizza at home. It has been two years since the GF Food Expo in San Diego where I met the owner of the two local  Mountain Mike's Pizza.   He told me a story about his daughter, who has to be GF, and how his restaurants offer safe GF Pizza.  I kept thinking I would stop in - its been two years.  Sam Golding owns the shop in Clairemont Mesa and I believe another in San Carlos. Its not far but not close, so I didn't venture down to the Clairemont shop.  And, I'm apprehensive about new places.  I hate getting sick from contamination. This is the Gluten Free Menu. Let me tell you it was a great experience.  The girl behind the counter knew what she was talking about, they have a good GF menu - not just pizza (they even have three GF beers), and the pizza was delicious. The GF crusts are small, 10 inch.  They are GF, soy, egg and dairy free.  They have a good texture and t

My first experience with cheese bread was at Ola, a restaurant in South Beach (you can see my review  here) .  Brazilian Cheese Bread or Pao de Queijo is a delicious cheesy bread that is naturally gluten free because it is made with tapioca flour. Brazi Bites  began in Portland, Oregon a few years ago.  The story goes that they missed their native cheese bread and tried different cheeses in America until they found just the right ingredients to make it taste like home.  Now you can find it in stores. They were nice enough to send me some samples to try.  I inquired and they do make it in a dedicated GF facility and it is certified GF.  It is super easy to make and delicious. You can find it in the frozen food section (my local Whole Foods carries it).  Preheat your over to 400 degrees. Once the oven is preheated, place the frozen cheese breads on a baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes. Beep, they are done - it doesn't get much easier than this.  

If you have followed my blog you know I like pizza.  I really miss my gluten containing dough and I'm still on the search for that perfect blend.  I have tried many and I recently tried a new one. Pamela's  has a Bread Mix that is good for making bread, pie crust, cookies and pizza.  We thought we would try it out. It was super easy to make.  Add Pamela's Mix, yeast, oil and water and mix.  She offers an option of adding cheese and italian herbs.  After the first batch I now add a bit of garlic powder, oregano and honey. Next you split the dough in two, oil up your hands and flatten them out on parchment paper on a pizza pan.  Let it sit for an hour to rise.  The more you flatten it the crisper your crust. Next you par bake them in the oven at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes.  I found the longer and browner the crust the crispier the crust. Then add you toppings and cook 10 - 12 minutes.  We choose to do a half pepperoni and half cheese.  You can find my homem

I had a disturbing encounter at my local Von's Pharmacy in San Diego.  I thought it was important that those of us with gluten issues and anyone with allergies be aware of yet another source of contamination. I do not get sick very often and therefore do not take medicine very often.  Our dog needed some medication that needed to be ordered.  The vet said instead of driving back to her office she could call it in to our pharmacy which was closer. I went to pick up the medication.  At the counter I was told it was not ready but would only take a minute. Right behind the glass at the front counter right on top of the pill counter and bottles of medicine the Pharmacist was eating lunch.  An open bottle of soda, bag of chips, bottle of ketchup and a sandwich.  He put the sandwich down and backhanded the food to give him some room.  Picked up a large bottle and dumped it into the pill counter and then started counting pills. No gloves. No hand-washing. I questioned him.  Tol

I went fishing off the coast of San Diego this summer.  We caught some nice Dorado and Yellowtail.  Sashimi does not get any fresher than this.  So what do you do with all of this fish - eat it. We had sashimi, we cooked it many ways and I made some Hawaiian style poke.  I had played around with it but this seemed to be a perfect dish. Here is a Dorado, otherwise know as mahi-mahi (yes, caught on a fly for you fisherman). For the Poke Marinade combine in a bowl and place in fridge: 1/4 of thinly sliced yellow onion 2 finely chopped scallions 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger 1 tsp salt 1/2 Cup GF Tamari 1 tsp toasted sesame oil [optional] 1 tsp chili sauce (I used Linghams) pinch of crushed red pepper flakes Make sure you have fresh fish.  If not freshly caught check with you local fish monger. Rinse and dry your fish.  Cut your fresh fish into cubes and place in fridge.  I used a combo of fresh mahi-mahi and yellowtail. When you are ready to eat combine the fish and

Chandie Probst of  Gluten Free Calendar  was nice enough to offer up 24 free tickets to the pre-game party at Petco Park Saturday August 24th. The event will run from 2:00 to 5:00 in the tailgating lot at Petco Park.  For the kids there will be face painting and cookie decorating.  Authors Danna Korn and Nina Cucina will be there.  The first 200 people will receive a gift bag with pasta and a magazine. This really sounds like a great event. The first 24 people that email me at unglutenguy@gmail.com or reply in the comment section below will win.  I will forward your names to Gluten Free Calendar and the tickets will be available at will call.  They need the names by Friday at noon so don't procrastinate. Here is the link to the info page from Gluten Free Calendar -  Padres Celiac Awareness Night . Ready, Set, Go.

In San Diego the Cohn Family has a ton of restaurants.  They cover a wide area on the map and an even larger diversity of flavors. We made it to Comic-Con.  We had never had the experience of attending and wanted to go.  After a day of visiting booths, seeing panel discussions and playing video games we were all hungry. We stopped at  Island Prime  on Harbor Island on our way home.  We have eaten there before and they have a pretty decent Gluten Free Menu.  As always I questioned some things and the waitress told me some managers were debating that they can just overheat things to kill the gluten.  As far as I know most sources say to clean throughly with soap and water to clean a cooking surface.  Other sites talk about heating things like grills for 30 minutes at 500 - 600 degrees.  I have no scientific evidence to support it but I asked that it be cooked in a clean pan to prevent the risk of cross contamination. I had the ahi stack.  My dish was served with cucumbers instead o

It finally opened.  I have been looking forward to the opening of Sea & Smoke .  This is yet another restuarant of Chef Matt Gordon.  I have been a fan of Urban Solace in North Park and Solace in Encinitas.  Both have very good food that is fresh, mostly local, freshly made with tons of gluten free options. Sea & Smoke is located in Del Mar at the Flower Hill Mall right off Interstate 5 near the Del Mar Race Track.  It is a bit closer to me than his other restaurants, so I was really looking forward to their newest establishment. We went in the other night for dinner, sans kids.  The makeover from the previous restaurant (Paradise Grill) was a pleasant surprise.  The upstairs is very open, modern and comfortable.  The downstairs bar is clean and refined but cozy.  Outside is awesome, the new deck floor, overhead lighting and simple tables make it a cool place to hang out and eat. They do not have a GF menu yet but are working on it.  Our waitress was very helpful and w

We took a trip to the East Coast this summer.  At almost every boardwalk store there was salt water taffy, fudge and rock candy.  We had always talked about making rock candy and this summer we did. Super easy. All you need is 1 cup of water 3 cups of sugar small cups sticks clothes pins food coloring (optional) Heat the cup of water over the stove and start adding the sugar.  Add small amounts at a time and keep stirring.  Eventually you will get it all dissolved. Next dip the sticks in the sugar solution, dip in some sugar and let dry.  This will help the crystallization process. Pour the sugar solution into small cups and all food coloring if you want to add some color.  I was thinking about adding some extracts next time for flavor - vanilla, orange, mint. Let it cool.  Clip the sticks to clothes pins so the stick is hanging freely in the cup (not touching the sides or the bottom). Then wait.  We kept our on the counter for two weeks.  Try not to disturb them,

So I like soup.  And I enjoy cooking soup.  Homemade soup is just good, filling, nutritious and delicious. But sometimes I don't have time to make soup.  I actually have a river trip coming up and I was thinking about things to pack that I could easily heat up for lunch or a snack - and soup came to mind. I looked around and did not find a ton of gluten free options.  At my local supermarket I found  Gluten Free Cafe Soups .  This is a division of the Hain Celestial Group and their products are GF Certified. I picked up the Chicken Noodle.  Opened the can and dumped it into a pot. Heated it up then poured it into a bowl. How was it?  Not too bad and actually quite good.  A bit salty, but you sort of expect that from a canned soup.  The noodles were of good texture, not mushy.  The chicken was a bit chewy.  The vegetables still had a good textural bite to them. I'll pack it on my trip as it will be easy to heat up over the fire or a camp stove.  Think about kee

I was walking through our local  Whole Foods in Del Mar  and saw  Rudi's GF Tortillas .  I decided to pick them up and try them out. We used to love taco night and I have yet to find a place that makes GF corn tortilla or taco shells.  Every place that makes corn tortillas makes flour tortillas and the risk of cross contamination is too great for me.  Usually we make our own corn tortillas with  Bob's Red Mill GF Masa Harina .  Although they are good it does take some time. I had high hopes for a GF "flour" tortilla.  Let me say that Rudi's Tortillas won the test. We like to heat them over the burner.  Be careful but it warms it nicely and adds a little char. For starters we had some left over taco meat (you can see my recipe  here) .  So we heated up some tortillas (I place them right over the gas burner for 5 seconds each side) and filled with meat, cheese, lettuce and salsa.  It was great.  And my little guy agreed - he ate two. For starter