Gluten Free Cheri

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

Over the past weekend I decided to experiment. My enormously large kitchen island was completely covered with various bags of flour, starches, doughs, cutting boards, cheeses, pumpkin, would I, could I, ever make it as a gastronomist…? I have to say that after trying endlessly to come up with a beautiful homemade gluten free pasta recipe, I surrendered…oh and fluffy gorgeous pumpkin cookies, not gonna happen..not this time anyways. But I won’t give up, I’m learning patience..

One of the joys of eating GF is that it has completely encouraged me to cook. Really cook. I would have never learned some of the things I have otherwise. It forces you to do research, search for ingredients, really slow down in the kitchen, turn on smooth jazz, enjoy the process.

For days that I just can’t seem to make something worthy to feed to my Joel, I revert back to simple classics, until I get my nerve back up to try again, (GF croissants: ‘I will be back’) Peanut Butter Cookies should be the first thing any new Celiac should make. They are so simple, naturally gluten free, and taste even better frozen. Here, I have added just a little pumpkin for a subtle hint.

Here’s my little spin on a classic:

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
¼ cup pure canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
About 8 squares dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Stir everything but the chocolate together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Grease a baking sheet. Form cookies into small balls and bake for about 10-13 minutes. While baking the cookies, microwave the chocolate in a bowl for 30 seconds at a time stirring after each 30 second increment until melted. When cookies are done baking, they will just start to turn brown on the edges. It’s better to undercook then overcook these. Use a tablespoon to pour the chocolate over the cookies in whatever design you like. Leave them on the pan and put the pan in the fridge for the cookies and chocolate to harden up. I think these are even better frozen:) Enjoy with a latte!

 I could not have been more happy last month, when I ventured across the American border in search of E.L.F. cosmetics. The entire line is supposedly free of gluten ingredients, plus the sheer joy of seeing prices that make you feel you must have travelled back in time a few decades! Brushes for $3, Primer for $6, bronzer for $1! My poor husband probably looked quite bewildered as I crazily grabbed everything and threw into my basket.

(Note: As I discovered last month however, E.L.F. cannot be labelled gluten free since they do not make their products in a dedicated gluten free facility. For more info please check out my original post on E.L.F.)

I looove trying new makeup products, so I purchased almost every product available at Target. Which in reality came to about the same price as one and a half products at Sephora.

Here’s what I found after using these products for a month:

I have not have a bad reaction to any of the products so far. My favorite product is probably the $6 face primer, it feels similar to the highly coveted Smashbox primers, which, by the way retail at $44. It smoothed out my pores and fine lines pretty well, creating that perfect canvas for your foundation. Saved $38. Soo worth it.

Next up, I love the Flawless Finish Foundation SPF 15 in Porcelain. It has a similar consistency to Laura Mercier foundations, very creamy and thick, with a semi-matte finish, it’s a high coverage foundation I would say. The downside is that there is very very limited color selection. Thankfully it was pretty darn close to my skin color. But it does have that pesky pink undertone that I’m always trying to avoid. If I mix it with Make Up Forever’s HD foundation no.117 it’s perfect. (MUFE has informed me that there are no gluten ingredients in this foundation, except for the slim possibility of cross contamination) The e.l.f. Foundation doesn’t have as much product as most foundations at 0.8 oz.per bottle.

Another favorite product of theirs would be the Eye Primer, it comes with Line Sealer on one end as well, which I haven’t tried yet, maybe you know something about Line Sealer that I don’t?? (Before I had to avoid gluten, I used to love Urban Decay’s Lid Primer, but was informed that it does in fact contain gluten) The E.L.F. Eye Primer does a great job of keeping eyeshadow in place, and it doesn’t seem to bother my sensitive eyelids. Worth it. All $3 of it.

The E.L.F. mascaras that I tried are the e.l.f. Studio Volume Plumping Mascara, and the white colored e.l.f. Essential Volumizing Mascara  the later of which I threw out quite quickly as it was horrible, however the Studio Volume Plumping Mascara, was comparable to Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara. An ok mascara overall.

I have really liked most of what I have tried so far. Makeup can be so expensive and it’s nice to save a dollar where you can, of course, I still have a couple department store favorites, that I haven’t found a cheap replacment for..yet…

Hope that helps you know what products would work for you.

Stay tuned for Part ll of Best of E.L.F.!

I was beyond excited when I learned that a budget cosmetic line E.L.F. was supposedly entirely gluten free. A huge majority of their products are $1, some are $3 and primers and foundations $6. However I came across a blog saying they are not gluten free since ‘wheat protein’ is listed as an ingredient in one of the mascaras, which is true. However, this is what E.L.F. had to say about this:

(August 2013)

“Thank you for your interest in elf cosmetics. We do not add any Gluten in our products however if you’d like to be sure you can stick with the Mineral line that we have because all the ingredients are natural. If you still have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at 1800-231-4732.”

Sincerely, the e.l.f. team

I then emailed back in regards to the wheat protein clearly listed on their mascara, this is what they said:

“We apologize for any confusion. The wheat protein in our mascara is considered non-gluten. It is formulated from a part of the wheat that does not contain gluten.
Please feel free to contact us if we may be of any further assistance.”

Sincerely,
the e.l.f. team

E.LF. is not labelled gluten free likely because in another email they mentioned that ‘they cannot guarantee there is not gluten in the machinery’ they use however, each time I emailed them I got a response within minutes, and it seems like they know what gluten is and what is in their products. Hope that helps clear up the confusion.

Peaches just seem like the fanciest fruit. They make their grand appearance at some point in summer, and I always feel the need to do something pretty special with them to match up to their sublimeness. When in doubt, why not go French? This is Gluten Free Cheri after all…

These galettes have been declared my best dessert, I’m not too sure, but I know I really really like them and most importantly, they are sooo easy to make, this is quickly becoming my go-to no brainer dessert. You can make these with many different kinds of fruit. Raspberries are amazing.

Almond flour is the hero in this recipe, lending a subtle nutty flavor.

Gluten Free Peach Galette

 2 tbsp melted butter

1 egg white

1 cup almond flour

⅓ cup sugar

1 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

dash of sea salt

 Place dry ingredients in a small-medium bowl, stir together. Make a well in the middle and add melted butter and egg white. Stir well to combine.  Shape dough to form a ball shape and then put in the refrigerator.

 3 ripe peaches

Dash cinnamon

1 egg yolk

2-3 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat you oven to 350 degs. Slice up your peaches as thinly as possbible. Add cinnamon to peaches, toss to coat. Get out your nonstick baking tray and add parchment paper if you have it. Sprinkle some flour on the surface and then divide dough into two sections, place on pan and form into two round flat shapes. Arrange your peaches on top leaving a border at the edges. Next fold up the outer edges, rounding edges as you go. Wisk the egg yolk and maple syrup together and spread on the edges of the dough, to encourage a nice brown color. Bake for 20-25 minutes. You can drizzle a little maple syrup on top of the peaches for a nice glaze. Serve with Ice Cream.

Ever since I traveled to Thailand, limes, fish sauce, and sriracha have become my staples in the kitchen.  I’m always whipping up something Thai inspired, and I fully intend to bring a truly authentic tamarind Thai dish to this blog soon! In the meantime I made this salad the other night, with what I had, and I kept it light, by keeping it more veggi-ful, than centered on noodles. (Veggi-ful? Hmm…..I’m a dork, what can I say?). I like to add tons of cilantro and extra lime juice to my personal bowl of this yummy salad. It is just so easy to make gluten free Thai food, I think I could eat Thai for the rest of my life..

I also had local fresh corn that I wanted to cook, so I took inspiration from Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Gluten Free, Dairy Free Cookbook; ‘It’s All Good’. (I will be posting more reviews on recipes from her book that I try.) This recipe, ‘Grilled Corn, Korean Style’, is super simple, but sooooo good, my husband usually doesn’t like corn but he couldn’t get enough of this stuff. Recipe below. Also if you haven’t made a personal resolve to only BBQ corn, you must! It completely changes the flavor, brings out more of it’s sweetness. So much better…

Gluten Free Thai Steak Noodle Salad

4 Tbsp Braggs Soy Seasoning

5 Tbsp gluten free Fish Sauce

3 Tbsp real Maple Syrup

Juice of 1-2 limes plus 1 extra for garnish

1 1/2 Tbsp gluten free Sriracha (or more if you like it spicy)(also most Sriracha is gluten free but it’s good to double check with the co. before you buy)

1/2 Pkg Thai Rice Noodle Stick, (thin or wide whatever you prefer)

2 Eggs

1 Striploin Steak (or whatever meat you prefer)

1 Red Pepper

2 mini cucumbers

About 6 cherry tomatoes

2 Green Onion Stalks

1 c Bean Sprouts

Cilanto Bunch

Mix the liquid ingredients all together, then cut the steak as thinly as possible into strips. Add one third of the sauce to the steak and let sit in an airtight container in the fridge for as long as possible.

Wash your veggies. Cook your rice noodles according to package directions, but slightly undercook. Strain. Slice your pepper into strips, slice cucumber into long strips, cut tomatoes in half, cut green onions into 1.5 inch strips.Saute the steak strips, over medium-high heat, then put to the side. Saute your pepper & white parts of the green onion in a wok or large pan for a minute or two then add your noodles, make a bit of a well in the centre and add the eggs, use a large wooden spoon to scramble them up a bit and mix into the noodles, add the remaining liquid sauce ingredients. Add the steak, and just before serving, add the tomatoes, cucumbers, and bean sprouts, mix, adjust sauce if needed, add more sweet, salty or sour to taste the way you want it, then add the green onions and garnish with as much cilantro as you like!

Grilled Corn, Korean Style

4 fresh ears corn

2 tbsp vegetable oil

¼ cup Veganaise, (I used Chili flavored Mayo and it had amazing kick!)

1 tbsp gochujang, or sriracha

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp cilantro

Red chili flakes or chili powder

Rub corn with oil and grill over medium high heat. Turning now and then until cooked through and slightly charred, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile whisk together the mayo, gochujang, and lime juice.

Slather the corn with the mixture and sprinkle with cilantro and chili flakes. Serve.

This is sooo easy to make! The secret is…. I make the cookies with a gluten free brownie mix, cheating I know, but in gorgeous weather who wants to spend one minute longer in the kitchen than absolutely necessary, no? Ok so the 5 minutes doesn’t include baking time…but you knew that right??? These gluten free Ice Cream Sandwiches are too good really, the cookies are crispy and gooey and perfect for holding up to some ice cream in between. I’m still trying to figure out why this is my first time making them..?? Thank goodness for summer and ice cream, and gluten free brownie mixes!

Gluten Free never looked better.

Life.Is.Good.

Are ya ready for this easy recipe?

Ok have you got your brownie mix? Now preheat your oven to 350 deg.s? Put some parchment paper on an baking tray.

Put mix in a bowl:

Make a well in the bottom of the bowl.

Add two eggs, and half a cup of oil to the well, mix it all together. Shape dough into cookies. Bake for 9-10 minutes.

ALMOST done.

Once the cookies look done, take them out and put them in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up, then use a spoon to smash some ice cream onto those babies..

Told ya it was easy….

PS: You can really be creative with these cookies, swipe peanut butter on the cookies before assembling, or add some caramel sauce for a nice ozzy affect, make minis, add m&ms, use gluten free blondie brownie mix instead, whatever ya like. My husband had his with Caramilk Ice Cream, I had Haagen-Dazs Coffee ice cream, it only has 5 ingredients, cream, skim milk, sugar, egg yolks, and coffee!

I used:

Yum!

Gluten Free 5 Ingredient Protein Pancakes

If you want something that’s fast, easy, delicious and actually keeps you full all morning long these pancakes are for you! I’m always looking for ways to add more protein to my diet, and by switching cereals and toast out for these cakes, I’m off to a good start. I really like Brown Rice Protein, it digests much better than whey, a protein delivered from cow’s milk cheese.

I also love that you can make extra pancakes, put them in a little Pyrex container and have them as a healthy power snack throughout the day.

Since we are making healthy pancakes here, swap out the maple syrup, for 1 or 2 chunks of dark chocolate,  you can mix the chocolate into the batter or just place it on top of the pancake once you’ve started to cook them.

 Add some fresh fruit and an iced coffee, perfection!

 I use:

Recipe:

2 heaping scoops  of your favorite protein powder.

1 heaping tbsp your favorite gluten free pancake mix

Stir together.

1 banana

1/4 c egg whites

3 tbsp almond milk

Whiz the above ingredients in a magic buller or blender. Slowly add to dry ingredients, add more milk if its too dry to make a thick, almost pourable texture. Add more protein if too runny. You want fairly thick pancakes. Preheat a non stick frying pan on medium low with a tsp of coconut oil. Add a scoop of batter to pan, cook as many as you want, you can store the leftover batter in the fridge. Cook until edges look cooked, then carefully flip for another minute or two.

If you are gluten sensitive, have an allergy, or celiac disease, you probably should make sure your makeup especially your foundation and lipstick are gluten free, as these products are easily ingested.

I have tried a few different ones. My current favorite is Natural FX  by Cover FX. Not only is it gluten free but it does not contain, parabens, fragrance, mineral oil, or talc. Their products contain good for you ingredients like vitamin C and E, and claim that their products improve the condition of your skin over time. Its got a full coverage finish, so a little goes a long way.I would say if you have dry skin, to make sure you use a heavy moisturizer underneath to get that great luminous finish that this product offers. I also LOVE Cover FX Lip Gloss, it is so nice to know that something is truly 100% gluten free when you are smearing it all over your lips. Their lip gloss gives an amazing minty tingle that feels sublime.

I happen to love makeup and I don’t want to feel restricted just because I can’t ingest gluten. I have found certain companies to be easier to deal with than others. For example when I email Clinique about whether their products contain gluten it can take months to hear back from them. I just think thats pretty bad customer service right right? Am I crazy? I email other companies and they manage to get back to me within two days! Below are a few of my favorite cosmetic companies based on their knowledge of their own product’s ingredients and response time.

Smashbox, Make Up Forever, and Canadian based company, Marcelle are great to deal with. I love MUFE’s HD Foundation, it is pretty awesome, but pricey:( It is always a good idea to call the company that make your makeup every year to ensure that your fav products are in fact still gluten free. Although some companies do advise that there may be cross contamination in the labs where it is formulated.

Peach Rasberry Reeses Bar Trifle

My hubby says trifle is the best dessert in the whole world hands down. I think I agree.  When we are having guests over and I don’t know what to make, this is always what I end up making. But I love to change it up, this last time I added a couple Reeses bars to the trifle and it added a fantastic chocolate peanut butter layer. Gluten free trifle is no problem thanks to Kinnikinnik’s awesome angel food cake mix, it really tastes exactly like the angel food cake I remember…
Kinnikinnik Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Mix

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

You will need:

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Mix

Vanilla Pudding, or any flavor you like

Whipping Cream

A couple of your favorite chocolate bars, skor is prob my fav that I’ve tried

Fruit, I love peaches, raspberries, mango, blueberries..

This is why parchment paper is so great for baking!

Tear up angel food cake and layer it anyway you like. Let it sit overnite for perfect moistness. I like to make individual ones too.

Want to spice up the ol’ stirfry?!,  This one will for sure-zees..We have some intense flavors here people, ginger, pepper flakes, honey, and gluten free soy sauce. The key to this receipe is LOTSA ginger as much as you like, and letting the sauce sit on the chicken for a few hours first as long as possible, gives the chicken great color and amazing flavor.  Yum!

Cashew Chicken

2-3 c boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into small pieces

2-3 Peppers any color

1 medium onion

3 green onions

1/2 c cashews

Seasoning

1/3 c Braggs Soy Seasoning

3 tbsp Honey

1 tsp red pepper flakes (or less if your sensitive to heat)

4 cloves garlic cloves crushed

2 inch piece of ginger

1 tbsp oil

Get out a medium size bowl, place raw chicken in it.Wash all your veggies. Cut ginger into strips as thin as possible, add to chicken, add 1/4 soy sauce, honey, flakes, garlic, mix together so all the chicken is coated well, add more honey, soy sauce if you need to. Cover with a lid or cerane, and put in the fridge for overnight or even just a few hours so the chicken can absorb the intense flavors.

Broil the cashews on low on a baking pan for 5 minutes, watching the whole time till they just start to brown. Set aside.

Heat a pan on medium-high, add the chicken and cook thru, remove. Clean the pan or use another pan to saute the veggies briefly keep them crispy. Add the rest of the soy sauce, while cooking veggies. Add cooked chicken, stir through. Place green onions and cashews on top and serve with rice!