Simply Gluten-Free

Our Kitchen is Not Big Enough!

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:11:07 +0000

When you can’t eat out at all, you eat in! That means we spend a lot of time in the kitchen making healthy, gluten-free, Jason-friendly meals. It has taken us a long time to figure out a sustainable diet that doesn’t require much imported food items, either from import stores in Shanghai or carried in our suitcase during our annual visit to the U.S.

The key is to make everything from scratch and acquire the right kitchen gadgets!

Over the years, we’ve acquired quite a number of kitchen gadgets. Our kitchen is running out of space! But we’re happy and able to eat very well, healthy, and cheaply too! We’ve come to realize how much restaurants in Shanghai charge premium prices for authentic western food, just because Chinese or non-authentic western restaurants can’t get things right (pizza, hamburgers, spaghetti, sandwiches, cheese cake, burritos, etc…).

If we could eat out, we’d be willing to pay those prices! But since we can’t, we make them ourselves and for only a fraction of the price!

Here’s a few appliances occupying our tiny kitchen space.

VitaMix

The Vitamix is our most precious (and most expensive) kitchen appliance! We use it to make many things!

Fruit smoothies
Peanut/almond butter
Grind gluten-free flours like rice flour, buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, almond meal, cornmeal, flaxseed, etc…
Soup
Mayonnaise
Knead bread
Salsa and sauce
Crush ice
Baby food

This machine is definitely a life-saver! Despite the ridiculous price tag (over $1000 USD) for a 220V model, we actually ended up saving a lot more because pre-made gluten-free flour mixes are very expensive both here and in the U.S., not to mention a glass of 100% fruit juice/smoothies at restaurants!

Omega Juicer 8003

We acquired the Omega Juicer earlier this year. We use it mostly to make vegetable juice.

Every week, we get a basket of organic vegetables delivered to our house. We use the juicer to make healthy (but kind of disgusting) drinks. A glass of pure green juice a day keeps the doctors away!

Aside from juicing vegetables, we tried making peanut butter and pasta once. The peanut butter attempt was a mess. It’s much easier using the Vitamix! As for pasta, rice pasta is quite cheap at Carrefour, so we didn’t bother making them again.

Braun Food Processor

The Braun food processor is our second most used kitchen gadget. We use the food processor for the following tasks.

Chop vegetables like onions and carrots
Shred or slice things like onions, cheese, cucumbers, yam, potato
Mix and knead
Ground meat

Braun Juicer

We use this juicer to make citrus—orange, lemon, and grapefruit—juice. Not too much use out of this little gadget since packaged 100% orange/lemon/grapefruit juice is cheaper to buy! But we still use it occasionally to squeeze fresh juice when fruits are on sale.

Westinghouse Hand Mixer

Surprisingly, not many foreigners in China have a hand mixer. Most people don’t have an oven, so there’s no need for doing any kind of mixing/blending. But even those with toaster ovens still mix manually! It’s probably because it’s not easy to find hand mixers in China.

Before the days of online shopping on Taobao.com, we had to scour the entire city looking for “special gadgets” like a hand mixer!

A baker cannot live without a mixer!

Philips 3-in-1 Sandwich Maker/Waffle Maker/Grill

We bought this 3-in1 sandwich maker/waffle/grill a few weeks ago online from Taobao.com. Originally, we wanted to get a bread toaster, but instead, got a sandwich maker so that we can make sandwiches in advance and eat as snacks!

Turns out that making sandwiches was too messy. Homemade gluten-free bread doesn’t always come in nice square slices! =(

However, we’ve been using this machine to make yummy gluten-free waffles. Today, we tried grilling hamburger patties. They turned out wonderful! All the fat was skimmed off on the grill.

Galanz Toaster Oven

We had this toaster oven for several years now, before we moved to our home (with a built-in oven). We used the toaster oven much more before the move and when our built-in oven was broken. Now, we don’t use it as much except to toast bread in the morning.

Braun Coffee Maker

We don’t drink coffee at all, so the coffee maker has been hidden in a corner, collecting dust. Why did we buy it? We didn’t. Jason’s dad bought it last year when he visited us.

Braun Blender

Before we got the Vitamix, we had this nice little blender that occupied much less space. (The Vitamix is twice as big as this!) We made a lot of yummy smoothies with this blender. However, something got stuck on the blade and broke a tiny piece of plastic that connected the motor and the blade. So now, the motor runs (and quite well), but not the blade. This happened once before and we fixed it for 30RMB at Braun’s customer service office in Puxi. But the trek out there is too far of a journey for us lazy folks that already have THE king of all blenders (aka the Vitamix). If anyone wants it, go right ahead. Costs 30RMB to get it fixed and working again!

Ozonizer

You’re probably wondering, what the heck is an ozonizer? We heard about this technology/machine from a doctor in Hong Kong, so we ordered it on Taobao.

The machine supposedly kills bacteria and disinfects various items including meat, vegetables, fruits, fabric, refrigerator, etc… It’s also supposed to “remove” synthetic chemicals injected into meat, like hormones and antibiotics.

We use the machine mostly on chicken breasts. We place the meat in water, then insert the ozonizer tube into the water, and run the machine for 10-30 minutes.

We did an experiment with organic and regular chicken breasts before. With the organic chicken breasts, the water remains pretty clear and clean after 30 minutes. With the regular chicken breasts, the water turns murky and there’s a mountain of foam on top of the water. We have to run the machine for another half an hour before “things” stop coming out of the meat. It’s quite disgusting actually. Since getting this machine, we are afraid to eat chicken that has not been oxidized.

One of these days, we’ll get around to posting videos and pictures on our blog to gross all of you out!

In addition to these kitchen gadgets, we also have a full-size built-in oven, a microwave, a dishwasher, a double-door refrigerator, two broken rice cookers, a bunch of pots and pans, and about a hundred Lock ‘n’ Lock containers!

Our kitchen is not big enough!!!

Sweet Potato Fritters

admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0000

I saw this recipe in the The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods book and made it a few times. The sweet potato fritters are easy to make and taste delicious! They taste almost like potato pancake, but sweeter and crispy/crunchy on the outside. The fritters make great appetizers, breakfast foods, or afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

5 cups grated sweet potatoes (3-4 potatoes)
6 tablespoons rice flour
2 tablespoons potato starch
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, slightly beaten
oil for frying

Directions:

Chop about 2 cups of the grated potatoes into smaller pieces and place them in a large bowl.

Add the flour mix, brown sugar, salt, and pepper and tumble to cover.

Add the beaten eggs and stir to combine.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil in a frying pan and form 3” patties, using about 1/4 cup of the potato mix each.

Place as many patties in the pan and brown both sides. Lower heat, cover, and cook for about 6 minutes.

Meat Cooking Temperature

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The US Department of Agriculture says the following temperatures will produce safely cooked, but still flavorful meats:

Meat	Temp. (°F)	Temp. (°C)
Fresh ground beef, veal, lamb, pork	160°F	71°C
Beef, veal, lamb roasts, steaks, chops: medium rare	145°F	63°C
Beef, veal, lamb roasts, steaks, chops: medium	160°F	71°C
Beef, veal, lamb roasts, steaks, chops: well done	170°F	77°C
Fresh pork roasts, steaks, chops: medium	160°F	71°C
Fresh pork roasts, steaks, chops: well done	170°F	77°C
Ham: cooked before eating	160°F	71°C
Ham: fully cooked, to reheat	140°F	60°C
Ground chicken/turkey	165°F	74°C
Whole chicken/turkey	180°F	82°C
Poultry breasts, roasts	170°F	77°C

Homemade Gluten-Free Chicken Broth

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It’s hard to find gluten-free, MSG-free chicken broth in Shanghai. Chinese people like to use this thing called 鸡精 (chicken essence/powder) for all their cooking. The chicken powder is found in all supermarkets and comes in big bags. The chicken powder adds a wonderful flavor to dishes (stir-fries, vegetables, meat, soup), but unfortunately, it contains modified starch and a lot of MSG. All other chicken bouillon cubes, powder, and canned broth contain modified starch and MSG as well. We’ve not been able to make tasty gourmet dishes without this basic ingredient.

Recently, I was able to find gluten-free organic free range chicken broth in the import section of Carrefour. I bought two cartons and used them to make chicken pot pie. The chicken broth is very tasty, but also very expensive. An 1-pint carton of the broth costs around 35 RMB!

Today, I learned how to make my own gluten-free chicken broth and for only a fraction of the cost! I found a simple recipe from Simply Recipes. You can make a lot at one time and keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Ingredients:

leftover chicken bones and skin
onions
celery
carrots salt
pepper
parsley

Instructions:

Put the leftover bones and skin from a chicken carcass into a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Add veggies like celery, onion, carrots, parsley.

Add salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper.

Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to bring the stock to barely a simmer.

Simmer uncovered at least 4 hours, occasionally skimming off the foam that comes to the surface.

Remove the bones and strain the stock.

Last night, I made rotisserie chicken for dinner so we had a lot of chicken bones/skin. Come to think of it, it’s kind of gross to use leftover chicken bones/skins that we’ve touched, licked, and chewed… but I guess it’s just the two of us eating my cooking anyway.

Characteristics of Gluten-Free Flours/Ingredients

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

One of the challenges of gluten-free baking is that wheat flour can’t be replaced by any one type of wheat/gluten-free flour. You have to use different types of flours in combination to reproduce the same taste, texture, and color of wheat-based baked goods.

There are many different kinds of gluten-free mix that you can use for different recipes. There’s a section in the Gluten-Free Quick & Easy book called “What Role Do These Ingredients Play?” The section explains how different gluten-free flours adds to the taste/texture/color of baked goods. That’s very useful information, so I’m posting a few pointers here.

Dry Ingredients

cornstarch: makes the crust look smoother and less ragged
potato flour: adds chewiness
potato starch: lightens dough by making it airier
soy lecithin: binds oil and water together, makes a finer texture
tapioca flour/starch: helps with browning and makes a crispier crust
xanthan/guar gum: prevents crumbling, thickens the batter slightly (cannot omit in gluten-free baking)

Liquid Ingredients

dairy products: smoothes the crust
protein (milk, nuts, eggs): feeds the yeast
eggs: help baked goods rise, binds oil and water together, improves texture
acid (vinegar, lemon): boosts the leavening action of yeast

Understanding the properties and characteristics of these ingredients will help me (and you) to create new gluten-free recipes from scratch!

Avocado Melon Smoothies

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Here’s a delicious smoothies recipe for a summer evening.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cantaloupe or honey dew
1 avocado (pitted)
1 cup ice
1 cup coconut milk
honey or sweetener

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. Add honey or sweetener to suit taste.

More Carrot Juice Combinations

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

admin — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Here’s a healthy and delicious dessert for today. This apple crisp recipe is from Gluten-Free Baking Classics. I made the apple crisp for the first time today, and it was so easy to make! I used honey instead of sugar and didn’t use any butter. The apple crisp tasted just fine!

Ingredients:

1 cup GF flour substitute
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt in small bowl.

Add egg and stir to mix well. Mixture will be crumbly.

Place apples in cake pan and sprinkle top with flour mixture. Drizzle with melted butter.

Place cake pan in center of oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is a golden color.

Tip: You can substitute apples with other fruits like pear, peaches, apricots, cherries, etc…

Gluten-Free Organic Free Range Chicken Broth

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The other day I was at the Carrefour in Big Thumb Plaza and saw this brand of chicken broth in the import section. Imagine organic free range chicken broth is gluten-free, preservative free, MSG free, AND organic! This is the first chicken broth I’ve seen in China that is both gluten and MSG free! I can’t remember the price now but it was somewhere around 30-40 RMB.

Ingredients: organic chicken broth (filtered water, organic chicken), organic onions, organic celery, organic carrots, sea salt, natural chicken flavor, organic spices, organic expeller pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil.

My Gluten-Free Cookbooks

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Over the years, I’ve acquired a few gluten-free recipe books. I haven’t tried most of the recipes yet, but whenever I have time, I flip through the books and find something interesting to try. The ones that turn out really well, I’ll be posting the recipes here on this blog.

	Gluten-Free Quick & Easy by Carol Fenster
	Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts
	The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods by Bette Hagman
	Living Gluten-Free For Dummies by Danna Korn
	125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

Resources

Gluten-Free Grains and Starches

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Here’s a quick list of grains and starches you can eat instead of wheat.

beans
legumes
flax/flaxseed
corn
potatoes
buckwheat
teff

sorghum
soy
sago
tapioca
cassava
manioc
arrowroot

white/brown/black rice
sweet (glutinous) rice
millet
montina
quinoa
amaranth
mesquite