As a little girl, I remember these delicious buns that my mom would make; she didn’t make them that often but whenever she did, they were gone in a flash because we all loved them. It wasn’t until I was older, and would help her make them that I found out that they weren’t made with the same flour that most of our other baking was made from; it was one of the many recipes she brought with her from South America.
Although my mother and her family grew up in Uruguay, they had many friends from nearby Brazil and learned many wonderful recipes from them. I was lucky to reap some of the benefits!
Actually, I had forgotten about the buns and that they were made from tapioca starch when I initially started my gluten free diet, I had to check with my mom and look up the ingredients to make sure that they were in fact gluten free. These soon became a staple in our new diet. I make them at my house at least twice a week, they go too fast around here! My daughter even has these as burger buns when I make them a bit larger.
Gluten Free Cheese buns {Pan de Queso}
Preheat oven to 400 deg.
1 ½ cups tapioca flour [I use different all purpose GF flours as well]
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup milk
1 egg beaten
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt
Blend milk, egg and oil together then add to the flour and salt the add the grated cheese . Mix until combined, it should be similar to a quick bread batter. I will either put them in a muffin tin with cupcake liners or on a cookie sheet spaced evenly on parchment paper. I find that an ice cream scoop is the perfect size scoop for each bun. Bake 15-18 min until they are beautifully rounded and slightly toasted. Makes approx 12 buns. Enjoy this deliciously moist and tender bun!
Thanks for stopping by, please feel free to share- if you are pinning, please DO NOT COPY RECIPE in the comments, thanks!
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Week day mornings can be kind of hectic at times, so it is nice to have something quick, nutritious and long lasting available to grab on the way. Gluten free granola makes this a little bit easier; it is great with a bit of yogurt or just by the handfuls as a snack. This recipe has just the right combination of flavours and sweetness, I can’t seem to keep enough of it around, and my daughter loves it.
I have been using a recipe similar to this for years, I used to make it before we were gluten free as a granola bar. I have made some slight changes so that I could use it as a gluten free recipe. It was always a huge hit with all of my daughter’s little friends and her classmates when she was little as a regular recipe, but it is now as well!
I just make it up as a granola so she can have it for breakfast, but it also makes an amazing snack, as well as satisfying my daughter’s sweet tooth after school.
Gluten Free Granola
1 cup Gluten free rolled oats [I use Bob's Red Mill, although I am sure there are others out there]
¼ cup Honey
½ cup of unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup of melted butter
¼ cup chocolate chips
Can also add in some sliced almonds and walnuts, pecans or cranberries [really anything you like!] . My daughter likes her granola pretty plain – she really likes the coconut flavour that comes through.
Mix all ingredients until well combined, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer into a well greased pan. Bake in oven for 15-20 until the oatmeal is browned. Remove and stir, let cool and place in a re-sealable container in the fridge, will keep for a few days.
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‘No Nuts’ Gluten-Free Seed & fruit mix
I received the Enjoy Life ‘No Nuts’ Gluten-free Seed & Fruit mixes in their new packaging from Enjoy life foods a little while ago. Have to say, I really like the new packaging, but the best thing is what is inside!
Enjoy Life Seed and Fruit mix are Gluten-free, as well as free of tree nuts. They contain no artificial ingredients, Trans fats or Genetically Modified Ingredients and are Vegan, Kosher Pareve and casein-free so they are really healthy!
I love these snacks, they are packed with nutrition, allergy friendly and best of all, are very filling! I love that my daughter can take them to school without worrying about contaminating any one that may have nut allergies. They are also a big hit with her friends, and a great for energy filled snack after school for those homework get-togethers.
The new packaging can now be found in the stores in the same wonderful flavors, Beach Bash and Mountain Mambo. My favorite is the Beach Bash; I really like the bits of pineapple and cranberries. It tends to be a little sweeter because of the pineapple but it is well worth it. My daughter loves the Mountain Mambo; the chocolate chips did her in!
You can learn more about Enjoy Life here.
Here is a great gluten-free recipe to enjoy using the Seed & fruit mixes from the Enjoy Life site
No Nuts Seed and Fruit Mix bars
ingredients:
2 C Enjoy Life Not Nuts! ™ Seed and Fruit Mix (any flavor)
2 C Enjoy Life Cinnamon Crunch Granola
1/2 C butter or non-dairy alternative
1/3 C brown sugar
3 tbsp. honey or agave nectar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tbsp. tapioca flour
directions:
Grease an 8 x 8-inch pan.
Chop Seed and Fruit Mix in a food processor until all seeds and fruit are in small pieces, and transfer to bowl.
Grind granola in a food processor until it looks like fine crumbs. Add granola crumbs to chopped trail mix and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat mix together the butter, brown sugar, honey, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, and vanilla until melted and well combined. Pour mixture over the trail/granola blend, stirring to coat all pieces.
Add salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well, then pour into prepared pan and press down flat.
Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Keep remaining pieces refrigerated.
Yield: 8 bars
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I remember as a kid my mom would make a big batch of polenta when a few friends would drop by. We always seemed to have it on hand, it was easy enough to make and very satisfying too! She would usually make it as an appetizer and serve it with some delicious tomato sauce she had made up.
I still love making it – it is gluten free and can be used as an appetizer [which I do a lot] or as a side dish, you could even have it as a main meal if you wanted; as long as you have some corn meal – you are good to go!
Polenta
1 cup corn meal
3 cups water
1/3 cup Parmesan
Garlic, basil, oregano to season [ I tend to add more as I love garlic and basil]
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½-1cup Chopped tomatoes or sauce
Bring water to boil, once boiled add corn meal in steady stream and stir while adding, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Once begins to thicken and there are no lumps add the spices and the Parmesan. Polenta is done when spoon can stand in idle of pot.
Once done, let stand for a few minutes then transfer to an oven proof dish. Top with shredded mozzarella and place in oven under broiler for a few minutes. Keep and eye on it as you only want to melt the cheese topping.
Remove and cut into slices or squares. Add diced tomatoes or sauce and serve.
Instead of placing in oven, let cool and firm up, slice and brush with olive oil and place on the BBQ grill topped with mozzarella cheese to heat. Watch carefully!
Serve with chopped tomatoes or sauce.
Enjoy!
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I had never been much of a beer drinker so not being able to enjoy a beer on a gluten free diet isn’t a hardship for me. I can imagine that it would be much more difficult for someone who enjoyed a beer now and again.
This past weekend, I happened to be in the Liquor store picking up some wine [thank goodness I can still drink wine, I would find that difficult!] and noticed some Gluten Free beer on the shelf. There were actually a couple of different brands; I had not heard of either of them and asked the associate filling up the shelves, if he knew anything about either of the brands. He said that he had tasted the New Grist, as it is something they do in the store whenever a new product comes in. He did report that he liked it but found it very light, especially if you are a beer drinker.
I was curious so I thought I would pick some up to try – I was hoping that I could find a refreshing alternative to wine for the summer and he did say that it is really not a beer drinker’s beer. So it had to be my kind of beer!
I threw the New Grist in the fridge when I got home and by the time we were having dinner, it was nicely cooled. I was quite surprised. I liked it! Like I said, I don’t generally like beer; this was much smoother, and not as bitter as I remember beer to be. It was not as foamy as most beer tends to be but that was good for me, It was quite refreshing and very similar to a cider with a slight sweetness to it.
I quite liked New Grist, maybe I will try the other brand sometime, but for now I will stick to this one. Perfect for a summer evening on the patio. Yes, I am already thinking [hoping for] summer!
New Grist is a pale colored beer brewed by Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wis. and is made from sorghum and rice.
Are you a beer drinker, have you found a Gluten Free beer that is similar to regular beer? Would love to hear what brands you like.
Cheers!
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In an earlier post, I mentioned how much I loved to pin and how addictive it is. I wanted to share a few of the pins I found this week. Go on over to Pinterest – there is a lot of great stuff there. Here are a few recipes I found that are either Gluten-free or can be easily made gluten-free.
Yummy Sweet potato fries
Source: womenshealthmag.com via Rossana on Pinterest
Roasted Chick Peas
Source: cupcakeproject.com via Rossana on Pinterest
Crockpot Java Beef Stew – Can easily be made gluten-free by substituting GF flour for the regular flour called for in the recipe.
Source: beingglutenfree.ca via Rossana on Pinterest
I could keep pinning, but this is just to show you some of the great recipes put there! Happy pinning!
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I was looking forward to having a nice weekend to myself as my husband and daughter were going to go skiing up north. Unfortunately, plans changed and I no longer had the weekend to myself. Before the plans had changed I had decided I was going to try the Recipe for Cran Apple Oatmeal on the Equal site. I love oatmeal – it is my comfort food, and I was really looking forward to having some, for whatever meal I wanted! And I still wanted my comfort food even if it wasn’t going to be a me weekend.
I had to make a trip out to Walmart to purchase some Equal (it was on rollback) and I was on the hunt to find the yellow canister to use in the recipe. I thought that while I was there, I might look to see what the specials were for the week and see what items I could purchase on sale.
It was a little busy in Walmart since it was a Saturday, but I grabbed my cart and headed off to the food section. I tried to find the Equal in the baking section but couldn’t find it there. I remembered that some people had mentioned they found it in the pharmacy section. I headed over there and found some up high on a shelf –but didn’t see prices or any other Equal sizes. I looked around a little more and found it along with other sweeteners on a lower shelf – and it was on rollback at 7.97 – great for me!
My now teen DD has been asking to have her room redone so that it reflects her new teendom. I thought I would take a look and see if they had some nice bedding sets that would work with her purple walls – we just painted a cpl of years ago and I didn’t want o repaint. There was a nice variety but I found these really eye-catching. I snapped some pics to show here the pattern – I am hoping she likes them.
I gathered up everything and headed towards checkout, it was a little busy but was through the line in a snap.
After sleeping in a little, I was looking forward to having my oatmeal. There is nothing better (in my opinion) than an amazing bowl of oatmeal first thing in the morning! Luckily, oatmeal is naturally Gluten free but it can have traces of gluten from processing so I buy the gluten free oats.
This recipe is very quick and easy, and nutritious! It is loaded with fibre and protein, perfect start to the day!
It was so good, big hit with the family!
Cran-Apple Oatmeal
Found on the Equal Website here
Ingredients
- 2 cups 2% or skim milk
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats, uncooked ( I used gluten free oats)
3/4 cup chopped apple
2 tablespoons Equal® Spoonful or Granulated*
2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional) [I used Almonds]
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* May substitute 3 packets Equal sweetener
Preparation
- Combine milk, cranberries, cinnamon and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add oats and apple. Simmer, uncovered 5 to 6 minutes for old-fashioned (1 to 2 minutes for quick), stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from heat. Stir in Equal®, nuts and vanilla.
Enjoy!
To learn more about Equal, please check out the following links:
Please check out my #EqualCanada shop Google+ story with even more photos!
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are 100% my own
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A few weeks ago I received Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s new Gluten Free Cookbook, Deliciously G-Free. I had heard a lot about it so I was eager to look through it went it arrived.
Hasselbeck recounts childhood memories focused around food and how much it was a part of their family get togethers. She also mentions how difficult it was when she was first diagnosed and her ‘Mama’ could not understand why Elisabeth would not eat all the foods that she had lovingly prepared, so Elizabeth would eat it to make her ‘Mama’ happy, knowing how ill she would feel afterward.
As Hasselbeck points out, food brings people together. She found her diagnosis meant she could not ‘enjoy sharing this social element with others’. She wanted to make foods that everyone could enjoy; thus her reason for the writing the cookbook.
Many of the recipes are down to earth, basic foods that are perfect for the new gluten free cook. The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients can be found in most grocery stores or health food stores. She also has a great section on dealing with sharing a kitchen and how to avoid cross contamination.
Hasselbeck also writes about what to stock in your gluten free kitchen and explains some of the different flours that are used in gluten free cooking. A favorite of mine is her page of mixes that can be used in several of her recipes; each one will make several batches so they are nice to have on hand. I also really liked the addition of the helpful tips along side some of the recipes .
Here is a video of Elisabeth Hesselbeck talking about her new book.
In the book you will find 100 classic recipes with gorgeous, glossy photos showing some of the wonderfully prepared foods.
This is certainly a book I would purchase to give to someone who has just started their gluten free cooking journey; it is a wonderful family friendly Gluten free resource.
Read the excerpt from Random House here,
Would you like to win your own copy of Deliciously G-Free?
Enter the giveaway to win a copy of Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s Deliciously G-Free cookbook. The contest runs until March 15, 2012
To enter, please leave a comment – let me know why you would like to receive this book.
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I love anything chocolate, so Valentine’s Day is just another excuse for having and getting one of my favorite things : gluten-free chocolate! I am pretty easy to please – you don’t have to go overboard and get me a spa treatment, fancy jewelry etc. [Actually my poor DH has bought those for me before, thinking that I really need to be pampered; I have used the spa certificates, but only because I felt bad that he spent so much money – I have told him, it really is a waste for me- I don’t get out of it what everyone else does!] I know, I am not normal! A nice dinner and Gluten-free Chocolate and I am good!
Yesterday I made something special for dessert and a nice after school snack for DD [gluten-free chocolate mousse], she just got her braces off Monday so it was is a little bit of a celebration for her. She is also a chocoholic: DH is as well, but I don’t think he would ever admit to it! He loves his chocolate as much as the girls in this house!
This is what I made for dessert: Gluten-free Flourless Chocolate cake- decadent
Here is the recipe for the after school snack Gluten-free Chocolate mousse– needless to say – she loved it! It is rich and chocolatey, and not too sweet. What I love the most is that it is made with coconut milk, so it is high in fibre and protein and low on sugar! And DD thinks she is getting an amazing treat. Bonus!
Gluten-free Chocolate Mousse
courtesy of Chocolate Covered Katie
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup plus 1 T cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Sweetener to taste [any dry sweetener will do]
Open the coconut milk, transfer to a bowl, the recipe call to leave in fridge to thicken overnight . [I didn’t do this as I had just bought the coconut milk in the morning, but I put it in the fridge to thicken after I mixed all ingredients together and it worked great! ]
*(Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it isn’t thick with some water at the bottom, you have a bad can that won’t work for the recipe.)
Once the coconut milk is thickened, whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork or beaters, if you like . Store in the fridge uncovered , the mixture will get even thicker!
Enjoy!!
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I don’t know about you, but I have been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, it is actually quite addictive! It is so much fun pinning things to my different boards. My food board is growing rapidly! It is so easy to ‘pin’ great recipes that I find along the way. Well, anything really!
I have a few boards set up, but there are a couple that are still a little empty. I seem to concentrate mainly on my food and style boards; will have to work on the others!
If you don’t know what it is- Pinterest is a very popular bookmarking tool. A virtual pinboard!
It is a great way to curate and share all kinds of interesting things that you find on the internet.
You can check out Pinterest here.
I thought I would do a post and show you on some of the images from pins on my food board.
Enjoy! Click on the image and it will take you to the pin!
Source: taste.com.au via Rossana on Pinterest
Source: neverhomemaker.com via Rossana on Pinterest
Source: foodgawker.com via Rossana on Pinterest
Source: annies-eats.com via Rossana on Pinterest
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I was feeling like having something that was similar to a flatbread, we just didn’t have anything like that in the house, so I thought I would make some. Flat breads tend to be more of a cracker than actual bread; although some can be used for pizza shells [have to work on that]. I scoured several recipes; they all had some variation of flour, oil and water. One recipe called for corn flour or cornstarch in the recipe- I thought I would try half and half. They turned out ok, just not what I was looking for. I decided that I would try rice flour and see if they were much different or better. These turned out to be a little different, and I liked them better but I also played around with the different ingredient amounts. You can too, depending on how you like them. I found these to be nice and crisp – just what I was looking for to have with my artichoke dip!
Gluten-Free Flatbread
1 cup of rice flour
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
½-3/4 cup water
Rosemary, garlic and different herbs to add flavor [I eyeball, but I always like a lot of garlic so feel free to use whatever you like].
Add the rice flour to a bowl and then add the olive oil stir to combine, add the water a bit at a time, and just until the dough is formed and holding together, don’t use too much water. Pick up the dough and work a bit with your hands then roll out flat to approx 1/8 of an inch. I placed in a hot skillet brushed with olive oil and cooked for approx 3 min a side – watch them, they can cook quickly!
Break them up or eat as they are! Great for using with dips or for spreading goat cheese or other spreads on them and enjoying!
I think I will try a different flour and possibly try them in the oven next time. Will let you know how they turn out!
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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my husband’s involvement in Manuary. The month has not ended quite yet, but I wanted to post a picture of the progress of his beard growth. In case you missed it, this is what I am talking about.
I also wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive and for joining him in raising awareness for Head and Neck Cancer; It is the fastest growing form of Cancer in men under 50 . To learn more about it, you can visit here
Here is the link to my husband’s Manuary page
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I love chocolate, of any kind and description, but it has to be gluten-free! I love to indulge in chocolate whenever I can, needles to say I am not the only chocoholic in the house. When it came time for my daughter’s birthday, the only cake we could have was chocolate [well, at least as far as we were concerned]. I wanted to make something really special and decadent for her [it was her 13th birthday party], she had also asked for chocolate. I contemplated making the Gluten-free flourless chocolate cake I had made for her birthday last year, it was very good – even the girls who don’t normally like cake ate it and licked the plate clean; I wanted something a little richer, but still chocolate. I searched through many recipes and ingredients and I found this one for another Gluten-free flourless chocolate cake, but much richer.
Gluten-free Chocolate truffle cake – adapted ever so slightly from Karina, the glutenfree goddess.
1 cup whipping cream
2 1/2 cups milk or dark chocolate chips
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
7 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Nutella [optional]
Cacao powder for dusting [optional]
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the inside bottom of a 9-inch Springform cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. Wrap a large piece of foil around the outside of the pan, covering the bottom and sides, to catch any leaking drips. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, gently heat the cream over low heat. When the cream is fairly hot, melt the chocolate chips by adding them slowly to the pan as you whisk. Add the butter, in pieces. Whisk until the chocolate and butter are melted. Add the vanilla extract. As soon as the mixture is melted, smooth, and glossy remove it from the heat.
Beat the eggs, light brown sugar and salt until the eggs are foamy and doubled in volume, roughly 3-4 minutes.
Slowly add the cooling chocolate mixture to the eggs, and beat gently until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. [I put them in 2 loaf pans lined with parchment paper, then layer them, much easier to slice that way]
Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for one hour, until the cake is set and cracked. It will still appear a bit loose in the center, underneath. This is fine. [if using loaf pans start checking after 45-50 min depending on your oven
Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool. When the cake is close to room temperature, lightly cover and chill the cake overnight. { I have made this the day of and just put in fridge for a few hours}
Before serving, gently loosen the cake from the sides of the pan using a thin flexible spatula. Release the clasp and remove the ring.
If using loaf pans, gently loosen from loaf pans, add a thin layer of Nutella on one layer, layer other cake on top, then frost with another thin layer of Nutella on top of this layer .
Enjoy!
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We go through a lot of eggs in this house as most of the recipes that I make call for a few eggs, so we generally have at least a couple of dozen in the fridge at any time. I especially love getting free range eggs from a friend of mine who has chickens – the eggs are so good!
Generally we like to make something special for weekend breakfasts but some weekends you just want to have something quick and easy to prepare for breakfast or lunch. These muffins are very simple to make and you can bake up a batch and have them keep in the fridge for a couple of days. The best part is that it is something really nutritious for the family to grab and go
You can try different additions – I try to keep ours fairly plain so my daughter will eat them. The nice thing about these is that every muffin can be completely different if you want, the possibilities are endless!
Egg Muffins – here is a link to one of the recipes I adapted
Makes 12 good sized muffins
Preheat oven to 375 F.
12 eggs
2 tbsp cream, or milk if you prefer [optional]
1-2 tsp basil, oregano, etc
1-2 cups grated cheese – I like cheddar, but you can also use many others, swiss is a lovely addition too.
Optional – you can use diced bacon, ham or sausage, as well as chopped peppers , spinach etc. for fillings.
I use paper liners with my muffin tins but you don’t need to, just know that if you do these will be very liquidy so you may need 2 liners per muffin. If are not using liners, apply some non- stick spray on them .
Add the cheese, and any other additions etc in the bottom of the muffin cups until about 2/3 full, Beat eggs with the seasonings and the cream, then pour the egg mixture to fill the muffin cups to ¾ full. Stir if you like.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set, don’t over bake as they can become ‘rubbery’. Cool before removing from the muffin cups.
Enjoy!
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Working as a Mortgage agent, I got to see a different side of financial institutions. While some worked hard to ensure that the client was being taken care of, some only looked at the bottom line and made few exceptions. I soon began to see a pattern to the lenders I chose for my clients – they tended to be mainly credit unions.
Why? Generally, credit unions will look at the deals on a case by case basis, really trying find the best options for the client and helping me give my client the financing they needed, they really care about the customer. They also seemed to have lower rates overall and had less restrictions on property types than banks do.
Many of my clients had properties that didn’t always fit with the bank guidelines and while I couldn’t get a bank to look at them, the Credit Union would.
One of my favorite Credit Unions to work with was FirstOntario Credit Union, no matter who I spoke to at the Credit Union; they all went above and beyond to try to help you.
Growing up, my mother was a member of a credit union, so it was natural that I would become a member as well. I obtained my first car loan through them; they made the process so easy. It was a small branch, but no matter what, they were always very helpful and always remembered me, even after coming back from being away for several years! When we lived in BC, credit unions seemed to be incredibly popular; almost everyone banked there. They seem to be growing in popularity here as well.
Did you know that 1 in 3 Canadians tend to be members of a Credit Union?
Why?
‘The Credit Union Difference
Because credit unions are operated democratically and owned by their customers as members. Because we believe in the mix of personal service and technology like ATMs and on-line services, blended to give our members a choice of how they are served. Because everyone deserves the highest level of service regardless of where you come from or where you are in life.’
Some other cool info about Credit Unions:
They were responsible for :
- First loans based on borrower character.
- First payroll deduction service for deposits and loan payments.
- First open mortgages.
- First financial institutions to lend to women in their own names (in the 1960s if you can believe that).
- First to offer daily interest savings.
- First full-service ATM network.
- First home equity lines of credit.
- First debit card service.
- First registered education plans.
- First fully functional internet banking.
- First branchless bank (Citizens Bank).
- First cheque imaging service.
I think it’s important to help FirstOntario Credit Union spread the news that you have options!!
They want to know what you would do if you owned your own bank? Click here or the image below to answer.
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Blog: Gluten Free adventures Topics:Food, Health, Fun
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