Gluten Free Nanaimo Bars

Some holiday traditions should really be done all year round. The Nanaimo bar is always around the house at the holidays. Normally made with graham cracker crumbs, I had to make a change this year and there's no difference whatsoever. Other than no tummy ache!!


From Wiki: "The Nanaimo bar is a dessert of Canadian origin popular across North America. A type of chocolate no-bake square, it is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a wafer crumb-based layer, topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavoured butter icing, which is covered in chocolate made from melted chocolate squares.[1] Many varieties are possible by using different types of crumb, flavours of icing (e.g. mint, peanut butter), and types of chocolate. Two popular variations on the traditional Nanaimo bar involve mint flavoured icing or mocha flavoured icing."


I used Josef's graham crackers:


They worked fantastic but are slightly difficult to find. Kinnikinnick Graham Crumbs are becoming more widely available though.
Since my Sugar Cookies turned out so well last time, I think I might bake a few a little bit more and then crush them. I'm sure I will find a place for the rest of the cookies that are made. The first batch didn't last long at all!




Nanaimo Bars


Base

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
4 Tbsp cocoa
2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans


Custard

1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla custard powder or pudding powder
2 cups sifted icing sugar
Add peppermint extract to taste and green food colouring to tint to your preference

Topping

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp butter


For base:
Mix 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, egg and cocoa in top of double boiler and set over boiling water. Stir until mixture resembles a custard. Combine crumbs and nuts and mix into cocoa mixture. Spread and press tightly into a 9x9 pan. Chill while preparing custard.

For custard:
Cream 1/4 butter, milk, custard powder and icing sugar, peppermint and food colouring together and spread over mixture in pan. Chill while preparing topping.

Topping:
Melt chocolate over hot water and add butter and blend well. Spread over custard filling. Let set and chill.*
If you like, when the chocolate has set slightly you can score the chocolate so that it won't break when it's firmly set.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Cake

Remember when Cinnabon first appeared in malls? The smell overtook the nearby area and you just had to buy some to take home. You know, back when your hips and butt were a whole lot smaller?

Well anyways, Cinnamon buns have always been a Christmas tradition at my house. Used to just go with the easy Pillsbury Pop-open packs and then last year I made my own using a recipe I found on the celiac forums. They were quite good and I thought about making them again but then somewhere in my constant browsing of food sites, I saw it.


CINNAMON BUN CAKE

I planned on making it and just converting it to Gluten Free but I could not find the same page again.

So I made my own.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Cake

How easy does that look? It's quick,it's convenient, it's easy. No kneading or rolling, just scooping and smoothing.

Cinnamon Bun Cake


Cake

• 1/2 c. butter ( melted will make the batter easier to spread but softened is also fine)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. gluten free flour ( I use 2 parts brown/white rice, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Mix

• 1/4 c.brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Icing

• 1.5 - 3 ounces of a package cream cheese, softened ( I prefer 1.5-2 myself for less cream cheese taste)
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I use clear vanilla extract)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Grease 9 x 9 inch pan or line with parchment paper

Mix well butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add eggs. Mix in flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Spoon 1/2 of the batter in the pan and spread batter over pan and sprinkle with 1/2 of the Cinnamon Mix. Top with remaining batter and cinnamon mix.  Bake 350°F. for 30-35minutes or until cake tests done.

 

For icing, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, vanilla and salt together until icing is smooth and fluffy, approx 5 minutes.

 

Pour icing over warm cake and let sit to cool.

** If you are making this with regular flour, use 1 cup of all-purpose flour and omit xanthan gum**

I used my Peach Cake recipe for the base cake mix.

 

First layer of batter and cinnamon

2nd layer

Looks perfect to me!

You're covering it in cinnamon and icing anyway so it doesn't have to be beautiful

Fresh out of the oven

How do I not own a square 9 x9 pan anymore?

Every bite has cinnamon and icing

Hello there....

 

Summer Fresh Berry Steak Sauce

They say a good steak doesn't need any steak sauce. For the most part, that's true. There aren't a lot of options out there for a great steak sauce. The sauces are usually based on a brown-sauce style and include malt vinegar as one of the main ingredients. I usually only use salt and pepper lately and follow the Serious Eats philosophy for salting steaks at least 50 minutes before grilling. In addition, I love their Importance of Resting Meat  article as well.

Last week, I was out for dinner and I normally don't use steak sauce but the steak didn't have much flavour. So I had some HP sauce which is a British brown sauce-style steak sauce and it really didn't add much to the steak. So I'm sharing one of my favourite recipes. It's been modified from this recipe.  It's so simple yet so good.

Summer Fresh Berry Steak Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pint raspberries, washed and dried
• 1 pint blackberries, washed and dried
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup GF Worcestershire sauce ( US- Lea and Perrins or Canada-Heinz London Style)*
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 20 drops hot pepper sauce ( or more to taste. the longer it sits, the hotter it gets, I use Frank's Red Hot)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.  In a saucepan over medium heat, combine raspberries and blackberries and cook down for approx 10-15 minutes until berries have liquified and lost their shape. 
2. Strain berries through a fine mesh wire strainer until you have all of the berry juices that you possibly can. You will have a lump of thick berry residue in your strainer after this.                   
3. In a saucepan over high heat, blend berries,  brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, cider vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until thickened.               

I pour this into a few old sauce jars and it makes about 3-4 cups.
*Ensure you are using a Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce. Look under SAUCES for Lea and Perrins and Heinz which will be the London Recipe version.  Both are gluten free depending on where you are.

Slowly cooking berries down

Pour into strainer/sieve and press berries through. Scrape underside of mesh occasionally.

The remains

Nearly a cup of puree

Made over 1 3/4 bottles of sauce

Usually I buy a nice large tenderloin and cut it into smaller pieces to freeze or buy thick 16 oz steaks at the butcher and this sauce just compliments the beef so well. Sometimes, the heat of the sauce increases over time as you store it. It's perfect since berries are in season and it's the best time of year for grilling a nice juicy steak.

Gluten Free Niagara

Where to eat gluten free in Niagara?

It's a bit of a tough one. Sure, there are restaurants who do rice pasta. It seems to be the most frequent offering on menus.

I don't eat out a lot here and there are restaurants that I eat that probably don't have a clue what gluten is and yet, I feel comfortable eating certain items. I have a restaurant to eat chicken wings, nachos and french fries at although they are a pub with probably no concept of gluten free. I just know that the wings are fried separately and they aren't breaded.


Breakfasts are often easy... Bacon, eggs and possibly the homefries depending on the spices. Some places will substitute a fruit cup for you instead of toast.

I work in a place that has a very nice restaurant and they make gluten free bread on site. I get a lot of phone calls from people who almost sound stressed when talking about it. " Well, we'd like to stay but I'm celiac"  or "My daughter is celiac and we need to bring food for her"  It's nice to reassure people that we can take care of them.  On a recent weekend, I went to this restaurant for breakfast and enjoyed eggs, bacon and toast. The toast was grilled over an open flame as they don't have a separate toaster and this is how they do their GF toast for breakfasts. I've also heard that they will substitute the same bread for lunch sandwiches.

For dinner, I've always liked The Keg Steakhouse. There is one in St Catharines as well as two in the Fallsview area of Niagara Falls, Ontario which are a little more expensive than the St Catharines restaurant. I've enjoyed the prime rib ( no au jus), baked potato and on a more casual evening, nachos, bacon wrapped scallops and garlic and cheese shrimp. They do bring sourdough bread to the table and the shrimp does come with more bread on the side but I forego that.  Margaritas or red wine may accompany these meals as well. For a short while, they did have a gluten free menu but they have since removed it.



There are a few restaurants that do rice pasta as I mentioned. Johnny Roccos, Cafe Amore - where the local Celiac group has dined and they have desserts and rolls available, and for a small intimate venue, La Scala Ristorante  which is a 30 seat restaurant. I don't usually go out for pasta since I prefer La Veneziane Corn Pasta

 There is a fantastic website called Gluten Free Ontario which lists all areas of Ontario as well as  different chain restaurants as well. It is frequently updated to reflect new establishments.  A few of the stores on the Niagara Falls and St Catharines sections do receive products from a local bakery which unfortunately I find extremely overpriced and the quality dismal.

The Celiac Scene has another list of restaurants that offer GF however I've looked up some of them and haven't really seen any information online regarding their offerings.


Pizza can be ordered from a couple different locations. Pizza Pizza has a gluten free crust and although it's a thin mostly rice flour based crust, it's great if you and your friends all want pizza. You do need to ensure you order the proper kind of pepperoni if you do order as the classic pepperoni contains gluten. Gluten free Ingredients at Pizza Pizza

You can also visit Boston Pizza. They feature gluten free pizza with crusts from Kinnikinnick . All the toppings that are GF are marked with a little star. At my restaurant I had pepperoni and bacon which is my favourite. Ask for it extra crispy so the crust is nicely cooked through.

You can also check out Roberto's Pizza  in St Catharines for a gluten free crust.

One of the local restaurants I often go to  is M.T Bellies  in Welland and they have just put out their new menu which does have some items listed as GF on it. One thing to stress is that you need to ask questions since this is new for them. I've enjoyed the pizza with chicken and bacon and I usually have the Centre Cut steak with garlic smashed potatoes and broccoli. To be perfectly honest, I often have the nachos and the potato skins which are fried and I haven't had any problems. One of their servers has a child with celiac and she helped me when I ordered my pizza.


Another local place I used to go to quite a bit is Jack Astor's. They've just come out with a gluten free menu as well. They have a few options that I would like as well. Definitely somewhere to go back to although I can't have any of their delicious Garlic Pan Bread any longer.
On the American side, you have a lot more options with all the national chains creating gluten free options and/or gluten free menus.

• Bonefish Grill
• Carrabbas
• Chili's 
• Mighty Taco 
• Olive Garden
• Outback Steakhouse
• P.F. Chang's
• Red Robin
• Uno Chicago Grill 

You can also look at the Gluten Free in Western New York website and the Buffalo Gluten Free website for even more places.

Back on the Canadian side of the border, one classic chain is Swiss Chalet. A 1/4 rotisserie chicken with chalet dipping sauce and salad is a great choice. The salad are never packaged with croutons so there is no worry there. Although they hand cut their french fries every day, they do occasionally deepfry breaded items in the same fryer so it is not a safe option. They also serve their meals with a bun and I ask not to have it added to my meal.



Overall, there still aren't a lot of places because there are a lot of chain restaurants and they are the type of restaurant that only has sauces and condiments listed as gluten free. Not much help there. But with a little research, you'll find something. Otherwise come on over. I'll BBQ!.

Biscuits. Nothing but GF biscuits...

I love biscuits. I don`t know why. I remember while on my very long road trip through the US, we saw sign after sign for restaurants that had biscuits. Going through the drive-thru of Bojangles to get my friend a coffee and I couldn`t convince her to get any biscuits. It`s my belief that my friends should eat the things that I can`t so I can live vicariously through them.

McDonald`s has had biscuits in the US for I don`t know how long now but they just brought them out in Canada so now I am bombarded by commercials for biscuits.

So of course, I`ve been craving biscuits lately. I stopped in at Bulk Barn to pick up some spices and saw that the Duinkerken foods Biscuit Mix was on sale. I`ve bought their flours before there since they come in boxes and I don`t usually buy my flours in bulk due to contamination issues. I saw a box of their biscuit mix and decided to try them.

You add 2 eggs, and a form of shortening ( I use butter ) and then milk and then after mixing and a quick knead, you can either roll it out or pat it out like I did. Since I didn`t have my rolling pin, I made square biscuits instead of round ones.

After a quick bake they are ready to eat.

They are flaky and buttery and have that proper biscuit taste and texture on that bottom crust.

Keep in mind, I`m Canadian. There`s no southern grandma hand-me-down recipe that I have to compare to. Only Pillsbury and Bisquick and well, Red Lobster.

Duinkerken Mixes and Flours can be found at Bulk Barn and they have also just expanded to Walmart across Canada.

This is their only mix that I`ve tried and I really liked it. If I want biscuits, this is the way I`m going to make them and I rarely make things from mixes.I`m going to buy a few more boxes since they are sale and try some garlic and cheese drop versions as well.

The mix is full of starches however so if you are looking for a whole-grain type of product, you won`t find it here. It`s a biscuit. It`s not supposed to be healthy.  When I want a buttery, flaky biscuit, that I am going to add more butter to, this is definitely the way to go.

Also, I did not cut one open today and brush melted butter on it and then put a piece of bacon on it for an impromptu bacon sandwich. Okay, I did.

Adopt a GF Blogger - Ellen from I Am Gluten Free

For this month's Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger hosted by Seamaiden at the Book of Yum, I chose a blogger whose blog I have visited from the early days of going gluten free. I often visited the post about wontons however I have never made them. I visited the posts about bagels and breadsticks and wraps, oh my.
Then I saw this recipe for cookies.

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies.

I'm not a huge chocolate chip cookie fan. I can take them or leave them.

What I can't resist, is White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies. When people used to go to Subway for lunch and they would bring back a pile of cookies, I chose that one. When we would bake cookies at a bakery I used to work at, those were the ones I would sneak or buy a package to take home.

So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make them. Unfortunately, I don't have macadamias in my pantry nor do I live on the macadamia-carrying-grocery-store side of town. What I did have was almonds: whole, sliced or slivered. I chose sliced.

This is my new cookie recipe. I'm sure I can make anything with this. Cranberry orange, dried cherry/pistachio, butterscotch pecan, double chocolate etc.
I haven't made a lot of gluten free cookies. I have made my  Rolled Sugar Cookies and some oatmeal butterscotch pecan cookies, peanut butter chocolate and I think that's it.
It just seemed like a lot of people weren't having any luck with GF cookies - they would spread or not hold their shape etc. So I didn't really work on them.

However, cookies are back!

White Chocolate Almond Cookies

Hello........



I love white chocolate.

 I can't wait to try more of Ellen's recipes. They are so organized. Mexican, Indian, Pasta, Vegetarian, she's got it all. She's also got a fantastic blog roll on the side which leads you to some absolutely fantastic blogs plus a bunch of links to celiac info. I Am Gluten Free is a fantastic resource for someone just starting out like I was a couple years ago. I hope you take a look.

Oven Fried Chicken

Dear Colonel Sanders,
I miss you. We used to be friends. Now we are enemies. Your delicious crunchy skin. Salty, greasy fingers. Remember how I would come to visit you? And you would give me buckets of chicken and crisp fries? Oh those were the days....


Last year, I drove through the Southern States, fried chicken capital of the world. Oh how I craved it. Obviously there was no way I could though.

I poured through recipes looking for the best. Cast iron fry pans, well seasoned. Frying lid on, then taking lid off, or maybe it was the other way around.

I had a whole chicken and attempted to cut it into 8 pieces. I've done it before in cooking class many many years ago. I must have failed. That poor chicken. I ended up with the kitchen shears and continued absolutely butchering the chicken.
Which is why I now use chicken drumsticks. Easy and it cooks nicely so you don't have to worry about different sizes, shapes and cooking times.

Easy Oven Fried Chicken

Preheat oven to 400°F .

• 8 chicken legs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups of seasoned gluten free flour - I used my regular flour Mix A
• 2-4 tablespoons of butter

Dip the chicken legs in oil or shake in a freezer bag with oil in it.

Transfer to a freezer bag with  seasoned flour and shake until all pieces are covered. I used

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

This was for 2 cups of flour but I found that was a little too much flour, not enough spice.

Carefully take out and let them rest on a platter.Make sure they don't have a really thick coating of flour since you're not really frying them.

In your roasting pan, melt 2-4 tbsp of butter and then carefully place each leg in the hot roasting pan.

After about 35-40 minutes, turn carefully and continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until golden brown all over.

Updated: 10/30/10

I made these again and decided to take a whole bunch of blurry photos for you. 

Apparently I need my eyes checked? 

Eat. Lick Fingers.

Check out more fabulous recipes at Gluten Free Wednesdays 

Sesame Crackers. Yes, Crackers!!

I used to love crackers. Triscuits, Wheat Thins, Cracked Wheat, Saltines, Vegetable Thins, Table Water with Cracked Pepper etc etc etc.

I remember the first time I came home sick from school when I was little and was given some saltines with butter. Such a comfort food.
Having crackers alongside my chicken noodle soup, heaping the noodles on the cracker.
Making cracker bark with crackers baked with brown sugar and butter and glazed with chocolate and butterscotch chips.

I bought some Schar Gluten Free Table Crackers in order to make the Cracker Bark at Christmas. Both times I've bought them, they've been broken which is fine since the caramel sauce will hold them together. However, since they are always broken, they really can't be used for much else.

I'm not a fan of rice crackers. They look so plastic-y. I suppose I should give them a real shot. But, now I have these which I'll continue to perfect.


I saw a recipe in a magazine for some crackers and thought they looked fantastic. Buttery, flaky etc. And only 1 cup of flour. Why not?

Sesame Crackers

1 cup (250 mL) gluten free flour mix - I used 1 part brown rice flour, 1 part white rice flour, 2/3 of a part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame seeds - if you like add up to  2 tbsp seeds
½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
2 tbsp (25 mL) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup (50 mL) cold water - May be up to 1/2 cup with gluten free flour
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp (15 mL) whipping cream or milk - I used 1%
Coarse sea salt and/or other toppings

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

2. Combine flour, xanthan, sesame seeds, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add butter and use your fingers or a pastry blender to work in butter until it is the size of small peas. Add enough water to just bring dough together and gather together in a ball.

5. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/16-inch (2-mm) thick or less. Use a manual pasta machine to do this if you have one. Use a 2-inch (5-cm) round cutter to cut out circles. Gather and re-roll scraps. Place crackers on a baking sheet. Alternatively, just roll out into a large rectangle and use a pizza cutter to slice them into squares/rectangles or triangles. Just dust the surface with GF flour first so you can move them.

6. Beat together egg yolk and whipping cream, and brush over the tops of each cracker. Sprinkle with sea salt or other toppings and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Grating frozen butter is much easier.

Trying circles...

Nice and flaky!!

Then I thought I would try rolling them out and then cutting with a pizza cutter...

Much better. Although, brush with egg wash prior to cutting. Makes it easier.

Some of the thicker crackers...

On the left, the small circles I made which are a little thicker. I also re-rolled out some of the circles into ovals which is actually the perfect thickness. 

I ate way too many. Even had a couple with butter. So delicious. I'll happily make a half-batch or a whole batch anytime. Maybe some extra sesame seeds, maybe some other flavouring in them. Who knows???

*UPDATE*
I went shopping. I bought a fondant roller.

 

I tried it and then I removed one of the wave rings so that there is only one. This prevents a thin piece between the crackers. 

Also, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason to remove the edge pieces that are strange shapes. Face it, you're gonna snack on them.

Seriously. I need to double/triple this recipe.

Different flavours, different spices.  

Gluten Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake

One of the best parts of spring. We transplanted some when we moved and it's not quite ready yet but happily, someone brought about a dozen stalks to us.

I've found some jams and other uses for it but I always loved Rhubarb Cake from Best of Bridge cookbook.

I can never admit the most common way I eat rhubarb though.

I've had a few good successes with a general gluten free flour mixture so it's time to give the cake another go. It's a very forgiving recipe since I was short on eggs and forgot the vanilla and it still turned out wonderful.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs - I only had 1 so I used it and then 1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup sour milk ( 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 cup milk)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups gluten free flour( I used 2 parts brown, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca starch)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp vanilla - oops, I forgot this
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped fine

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream brown sugar and butter, add eggs and beat well. Add sour milk, soda,salt and flour.
Mix well and add vanilla and rhubarb.
Pour into 9x13 greased and floured pan.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on batter.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

DO NOT ADD CARAMEL SAUCE.


It makes it utterly amazing. I'm sure you don't want that. Ick....Ughh, No thank you!

Okay, I lied.


Add the caramel sauce.

This post is linked to Simply Gluten Free's Gluten Free Photo Contest.

Check out some other cake recipes on Gluten Free Homemaker Gluten Free Wednesday - Cake Recipes

My Favorite Flour Mix

Flour. So many blends... so little time.

I guess that's how it is. I've tried some recipes and mixed together the required quantities. I'm not a big fan of sorghum so far. Maybe that's just me and my impatience since I've only used in yeast breads so far. Yeast breads that I haven't let rise enough.

What I do like is the blend I'm using now.
It's a takeoff of Bette Hagman's.

1 part brown rice flour
1 part white rice flour
2/3 part potato starch
1/3 part tapioca starch
Add 3/4 tsp xanthan gum for each cup of flour you create.


I make double the batch and then I have it to use for a few recipes. Like Scones, Italian Plum Cake and Banana Crumb Muffins.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I hate missing out on things.

And that means food.

There is so much that I'm not able to eat any more. The convenience is out. The middle of the grocery store is pretty much a waste of time.

Your friends say "How can you do it?" "You can eat that, can't you?" or "That must suck".

And I can do it. I can't eat that. But no, it doesn't suck.

Not eating wheat and barley and rye certainly is a change. But to me, it's a fun challenge.
Perogies, fish and chips, onion rings, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and gravy aren't far-flung dreams. They are some of my successes. So when I want those things that everyone else can have, I can have them too. And so can you. You'll see.