Gluten Free Garden

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a super-fast, super-easy recipe guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s faces.  Fantastic when frosted and decorated for Halloween, these muffins are delicious any time of year!  (We call them “muffins” so we can eat them for breakfast, but really they should be called “cupcakes!”)

We usually replace 1/3 cup of the white rice flour with 1/3 cup ground flax seed meal for a omega-3 boost.

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 ⅔ cups white rice flour
• 6 oz. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together, pour into baking cups. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Much love,

Hannah and Hailey

Yes, this article in the Los Angeles Times follows the research of several scientists who are working to reduce and eventually eliminate the symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and celiac disease.

Celiacs, would you take advantage of any of these therapies? What about the hookworm method???

Well, maybe you could name it… I think I would name mine Henry.

It is unseasonably cold in Iowa this month and I am feeling it!  I managed to pick up one of the many bugs going around and am home sick with a cold and sore throat.  Fortunately, I have a go-to recipe for mulled apple cider that I think is the perfect warm up beverage.

I made a huge batch of this on Saturday and took it to my friends who were dancing at the World Food Festival downtown.  Considering the temperature was hovering between 35-45 degrees, the hot cider was a huge hit!

Mulled Apple Cider

• 1 gallon apple cider

• 1 tablespoon mulling spices
• 1 orange rind, sliced
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Bring one gallon of apple cider to a boil in a large pot.  Add mulling spices, orange rind and ground cinnamon.  If you don’t have mulling spices you can always use a combination of cinnamon sticks, allspice, whole cloves and nutmeg.

When cider reaches a boil, reduce heat to simmer.  This can sit on the stove top all day at  a simmer and it will fill your home with a wonderful fall fragrance!  Serve in a mug with a cinnamon stick, or a dash of cinnamon.

I’m so excited and proud to be the new co-writer of Gluten-Free Garden. My sister has done an excellent job with this site and I hope to be as useful and entertaining as she has been for you all.

When Hannah and I first talked about possibly sharing the site, I had no idea what I was going to write about that would really contribute to the site. Let’s face it, Hannah is a fantastic chef with an eye for detail that’s hard to compete with. I, on the other hand, have barely enough patience to cook the food before I eat it. How was I going to add to Gluten-Free Garden with limited cooking skills and love of quick eats? And then it hit me.

While Hannah will continue to give you the mouthwatering and fresh-from-the-garden meals she creates, I will be providing the easier, fast meals from the kitchen of a gluten-free girl with no patience for cooking.

As you can see, my sister and I differ a lot on our tastes, attention span, and well, pretty much everything. It’s these differences that will make this site more accessible to all types of gluten-intolerants, celiacs, and healthy eaters alike.

I can’t wait to get started and I look forward to providing my tips and tricks on eating gluten-free with my sister!

-Hailey

Hello, dear readers, and happy fall!

I have an important announcement to make!  You may have noticed that my Gluten Free Garden updates have been rather… sparce… as of late.  I blame my new job which requires a great deal of travel and also a passionate obsession with dance that overtook me during the summer (check out my music site, HannahBretz.com for details on that adventure).  Well, to keep the gluten free fun going I have taken on a collaborator, conspirator and otherwise fabulous partner in crime… my sister Hailey.

To give you a little background on the lovely lady, Hailey is a fun and fiesty jewlery designer with an obsession with food and a celiac gene to boot.  Be sure to check out her professional website at http://haileybretzdesigns.blogspot.com/.  She is wrapping up her undergraduate college adventure and will be focusing on gluten free recipes for the frugal and time-saving conscious.  I hope you will all join me in welcoming Hailey to Gluten Free Garden!

With that announcement, I would like to provide you with a recipe that Hailey and I created together.  It is an egg casserole designed specifically to be frozen in individual servings to provide an inexpensive and quick breakfast for the busy person or family on the go.

Egg Casserole to Go!

• 15 large eggs, beaten
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 pounds breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
• 1 pound frozen diced potatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 cup button mushrooms, diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 5-6 leaves fresh sage, chopped
• 8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled or grated
• 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
• butter, to grease dish
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease two 9×13 casserole dishes liberally with butter and evenly distribute frozen potatoes between the two. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes while preparing other ingredients.

Saute crumbled breakfast sausage until cooked through (no pink) and drain on a plate topped with paper towels. You can also use sausage links or patties and cut into small pieces once cooled.

Beat eggs with a whisk until frothy in a large mixing bowl and add prepared vegetables, cooled sausage, crumbled goat cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly distributed. Remove casserole dishes from the oven and pour half of the egg mixture in each dish, on top of the potatoes. Evenly place thin slices of tomato on top of the casserole and bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until firm and no liquid egg can be seen on top.

Remove from oven and allow to cool entirely.

Slice into 3-4 inch square pieces.

Wrap each piece individually in foil and store in freezer bags.

Label with name and date and freeze.

Individual servings can be reheated in the oven in their foil wrappers at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until heated through.

What is that thing that Emeril Lagasse always says…?  ”Oh YEAH babe.”

Happy GF eating!

Love,

Hannah and Hailey

I just received an email inquiry from a Des Moines local who has Celiac Disease.  He asked if I have a list of restaurants in Des Moines that offer gluten free menu options.

I understand the frustration of trying to find gluten free dining options, especially during the lunch hour when time isn’t plentiful.  I don’t have an official list of Des Moines restaurants that offer gluten free options, but I am happy to share with you where I frequently dine.  Happily, there seem to be more and more options for special diets every day.

When downtown for lunch or dinner I eat a lot of sushi.  Miyabi 9 is one of my favorites and I order sashimi or the classic fish and vegetable maki rolls.  Unfortunately, soy sauce is off limits because it is fermented with wheat.  Zen in the Kirkwood Hotel lists its gluten free options on the menu.

I have had great success with the Vietnamese food at A Dong – the beef curry stir fry and pho are my favorites.  I also frequent many of the Thai restaurants in Des Moines and West Des Moines (Ban Thai, King and I Thai, Thai Flavors, Cool Basil).  Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai cooking traditions use very little wheat especially in comparison to Chinese cooking practices.  Rice and rice noodle dishes are usually safe.  Spring rolls that are wrapped in rice paper and steamed are heaven on earth for the gluten intolerant.  Soba noodles and egg rolls are off limits!

I have had the salmon salad for lunch at Sbrocco and enjoyed it immensely.

Mexican cuisine is usually a pretty safe bet, although cross-contamination in the kitchen is sometimes a problem.  I like to go to Dos Rios downtown and order the guacamole, although I am fairly certain the spices they use on the chips are not gluten free (I am going to bring my own corn chips next time).  I also order the Dos Rios tacos with corn tortillas and no cheese/sour cream because of my casein allergy.

Over towards the Drake neighborhood I like to order a hamburger at Star Bar without the bun.   They do an excellent side salad with a balsamic vinaigrette that is out of this world.   When ordering salads I ask for gluten free dressing options or for a simple olive oil or balsamic vinegar dressing.  Always remember to ask if a salad comes with bread on the side or croutons.  Every time I forget to do this there is a big, glutenous breadstick hovering over my salad.

When in doubt, call the restaurant ahead of time and ask if they can accommodate your diet.  I like to do this even if I know a restaurant has accommodated me in the past, simply because I like to encourage restaurants to develop menu options for special diets.

I hope this helps. Please keep me informed if you find new restaurants with gluten free options and I will be happy to share them with other celiacs through the web site.

Happy eating!

Check out my friend’s amazing food blog, Iowa Girl Eats!  She has an excellent food philosophy of 80/20, meaning 80 percent healthy eating and 20 percent splurging!  Kristin’s recipes are delicious and her photography is spectacular!

You can also find a recent Des Moines Metromix article on Kristin here.  She was recently featured in the latest issue of Juice!

Check out this great Des Moines Metromix article on being a foodie in Iowa!

Not only is the article amusing but it also contains excellent resources for local Iowa producers and little-known restaurant secrets.  Enjoy!

I think number 9 is particularly hilarious…  I’ve never broken up with someone over food, but I have turned down a second date because the guy refused to try Thai food.  (Come on… a life without Thai food just isn’t worth living!)

Ah, la dolce vita – indulge in the bounty of fresh (local) food this summer!

My dear friend Kat invited me to her home to have dinner with her family  On the menu was grilled beef ribs and bruschetta.  I offered to bring along a summer salad with a quick and easy strawberry dressing.

I started with freshly cut lettuce from the garden.  This is a blend of spinach, forellenschuss, red velvet and red leprechaun.

I always rinse lettuce from the garden well to cleanse it of dirt and insects.

To make the dressing, I use a quick and easy blend of vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and strawberry jam (made with strawberries, fruit juice and pectin – watch out for artificial ingredients).  I prefer to use champagne or white wine vinegar but I was out of both so I used red wine vinegar.  

Blend two tablespoons of jam with one tablespoon of vinegar until well mixed.

Whisk in two tablespoons of olive oil to create an emulsification.  

Transfer to a travel-friendly container and set aside.

Roughly chop 1/2 cup pecans.

Transfer to a bag to go.

Dry and chop and lettuce, transfer to a travel-friendly bowl.

I wanted to sample Kat’s bruschetta recipe but I obviously can’t eat the toasted bread (gluten).  I decided to slice fresh zuchini and top the slices with Kat’s bruschetta mix.  

Here is everything I took with me.  I also threw in a bottle of Cookies Bar “B” “Q” sauce, a locally produced gluten free BBQ sauce!  I try to bring my own allergen-free condiments with me when I eat away from home.  

Kat’s bruschetta mix was a delicious blend of fresh ripe tomatoes, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  

With cousin Dan’s incredible grilled, onion and bacon-wrapped beef ribs, it was a perfect summer meal!

For all of you who have been missing, craving, or are DESPERATE for a crunchy gluten free breakfast – this is the post for you!

General Mills has begun producing gluten free versions of their popular rice and corn Chex cereals!

Look at that giant GLUTEN FREE label… it’s so beautiful...

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I ate an entire box of Honey Nut Chex in about three hours.  It was that good.