Christmas Already?

Wow how time flies as you get older.  I feel like I was just cooking my GF Thanksgiving Dinner.  As a person who has to stay away from wheat products Christmas can be a dreadful time.  It seems every time I turn around someone is handing me a cute container filled with Christmas cookies.

Well here is a  suggestions for those who want to indulge.

My family loves this recipe passed down from my mother-in-law.

Holiday Chocolate Log

6 egg whites
3/4cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
dash of salt
confectioners' sugar

Filling

1 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee (optional)
1 tsp pure vanilla

*Note: let egg whites warm to room temperature about an hour

1. Grease bottom of a Jelly roll pan; line with wax paper, grease lightly. Preheat over to 375.  In a large bowl, at hight speed, beat egg whites just until soft peaks from when the beater is slowly raised.

2.Add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 TBS at a time, beating until stiff peaks form when beater is slightly raised.  With same beater, beat yolks at high speed, adding remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 2 TBS at a time.  Beat until mixture is very thick (about 4 minutes)

3. At low speed, beat in cocoa, vanilla and salt just until smooth. With wire whisk, using an under and over motion, gently fold the cocoa mixture into the beaten egg whites, until they are blended (no egg whites should show)

4. Spread evenly in pan, Bake 15 min. till surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.  Sift confectioners' sugar on a 15x10 clean towel.  Turn cake out on sugar; lift off pan, peel paper off cake very slowly and carefully.

5. Roll up jelly roll fashion starting with the short end, towel and all. Cool completely on rack, seam side down at least 1/2 hour.

Make Filling 
Combine ingredients in medium sized bowl. Beat with mixer until thick then refrigerate



6.Unroll cake;spread with filling to 1 inch from edge; reroll. Place seam side down. Cover loosely with foil, Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.  Or place in freezer. Get out of the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

7. To serve; Sprinkle with confections sugar.

Let me know how much you love it!

Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Is anyone making a pie for Thanksgiving?  Try these GF pie crusts.

1. Gluten Free Pantry Pie Crust mix-  taste is good but kind of  a sandy texture
2. Breads by Anna Pie Crust mix- tastes better than any gluten filled pie crust- tastes like a homemade crust
3.  Pamela's pancake and baking mix-  the recipe for pie crust can be found on Pamela's website
You can make your own but it can be costly to buy all the ingredients needed. So you might as well buy one that is pre-mixed.

3 Foods that are always GF. Turkey and mashed potatoes (real not potato flakes) and cranberry sauce (homemade) If you are looking for a GF cranberry sauce in a can try Ocean Spray.  According to my Gluten Free grocery guide it is GF

****A great hint my mom gave me that adds some nutrition to mashed potatoes is to add cooked cauliflower.  Cook the cauliflower till it is soft then beat it into the mashed potatoes.  No one will ever know:)

Look for pictures of my  GF Thanksgiving in my next blog!

Finally a bread that I love! And more

A great place to start when you are switching over to a GF diet is bread.  It took me 5 years to find a brand I like. I can finally eat a bread that won't make me sick and tastes absolutely fabulous. The brand is Udi's.  It is great for a sandwich or a tasty piece of toast.  My favorite thing to eat in the morning is  2 piece's of Udi's whole grain bread, toasted.  Then I slice a hard boiled egg and have an egg sandwich.  Very filling and satisfying. Udi's has a website so check it out.  It is quite expensive to order online so hopefully you can find Udi's bread in your local grocery store. Sometimes you can find coupons for it online.

A book I have recently purchased is a easy read and very helpful when you are grocery shopping.  The GF foods can be quite costly.  So I always try to find "regular" products in the store that are already GF.  The book is called "The Essential Gluten-free Grocery Guide". You can purchase it on the website www.triumphdining.com. Great site to surf.

RECIPE OF THE DAY
Easy Walking Tacos
-Ortega taco seasoning
-ground turkey or beef
-Fritos Corn Chips (small bags)
-chopped tomato
-shredded lettuce
-shredded cheddar
Prepare taco meat according to Ortega taco pack.  Fill Frito bag with meat and all the toppings.
Enjoy




 

I want to help you with your gluten/wheat intolerance.

I have decided to start blogging about all my favorite Gluten -free foods.  Five years ago when I began this healthy diet there was really nothing worth writing about.  Now I have discovered food again! And so has my waist:) I will provide information on each product  and where you can buy the product.  I will also be adding parts about my daily life and how I cope with my Gluten-free diet. I will be giving  some recipe ideas that I really love too!
Hope you find my blog informative
Donna