PACKAGED SOUPS, Portable and Palatable

If you are looking for something you can keep in your desk for a quick gluten-free fix on cold winter days, this is it. Rather like ramen noodle soups but lighter with much less salt and fat and a lot more real flavor, they cook up in a microwave in less than three minutes.  You just need to have a bowl.  The price is right too. Our local store carries them for 99 cents. They come in four flavors. If you make them up at home, you can add some leftover meats or tofu and/or some veggies.


Thai Kitchen offers quite a few products that are gluten-free and make life a bit easier when you are on the run. There are some good recipes on their site as well.

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 


Wondering what to do with your left-over Thanksgiving turkey. Try our Turkey Poule.

AN ANTIQUE PERSIMMON RECIPE

Public domain illustration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Recipes are good-will ambassadors." Mrs. Cordell Hull as quoted in Pioneer "Vittals"

Everyone finds their way to Brooklyn, it would seem. Then their books find their way onto the shelves of second-hand bookstores and into our family library. This post was inspired by one such find.

The glorious gold-orange globes of hachiya persimmons arrive in the market along with the autumn chill. There are several kinds of persimmons, but the ones generally available to US are the hachiya. These must be very ripe to eat raw or use in cooking.  They have high tannin levels, which makes them bitter when unripe. When the persimmons become as soft as a ripe tomato, you can cut them in half, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, and eat them raw.  Or you can use the pulp for breads, cakes, and puddings.
we found the recipe below, which we offer for historical interest, in a charming booklet compiled by Sarah Dougherty of Russellville, Tennessee.  There's no date on the book and no copyright to give us a hint.  It would appear that Mrs. Dougherty lovingly collected old Tennessee recipes and probably self-published this tiny, three-by-five, brown-covered gem.  According to the booklet, this recipe is from the mountains of East Tennessee and dates back to the 1800s.

Persimmon Pudding

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup seeded persimmons
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in buttermilk
• 1 cup four [substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour, exchangeable one-for-one in a recipe]
• butter, the size of an egg [3/4 stick of sweet butter or Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks]
• 1/2 teaspoon each of spice, cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix all together and bake in moderate oven until done.
Serve with whipped cream.

***

EARTH BALANCE VEGAN BUTTER STICKS

Earth Balance Buttery sticks works just fine in baking. The spread is suitable as a spread or for cooking but not for baking, frosting, or candy-making.

Kosher.
Gluten Free.
Dairy Free.

Ingredients: Expeller-Pressed Natural Oil Blend (Soybean, Palm Fruit, Canola Seed And Olive Oils), Filtered Water, Pure Salt, Natural Flavor (Derived From Corn, Not MSG, No Alcohol, No Gluten), Soy Protein, Soy Lecithin, Lactic Acid (Non-Dairy, Derived From Sugar Beets), And Beta Carotene Color (From Natural Source).

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE with cinnamon-streusel topping

On some Thanksgivings through the years, we would make Pumpkin Cheesecake instead of Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving.  A nice change of pace, and we New Yorkers love our cheesecake. This one combines the best of cheesecake with the best of pumpkin pie.  Be prepared though, making cheese cake is expensive and bit labor intensive. Plan ahead. You can't make it at the last minute. You must do it at least a day ahead of when you want it.

Streusel-topped Pumpkin Cheesecake

Twelve Servings

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

The Ginger-Pecan Crust:

• 1 1/4 c crushed Mi-Del Ginger Snaps
• 1/4 c granulated sugar
• ½ c finely chopped pecans
• 4 T unsalted butter, melted

Mix all four ingredients well and pour into the bottom of a nine-inch, non-stick spring-form pan.  Using the back of a tablespoon, pat the crust down firmly.  Bake for ten minutes. Remove the pan and place it on a cookie tray.  Leave the oven on.

The Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:

• 4 pkgs. 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese, leave out of the refrigerator to soften
• 1 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 3 T Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1 c canned pumpkin puree
• ½ t each ground nutmeg
 and ground cinnamon
• ¼  t each ground cloves and powdered ginger
• 1 T gluten-free vanilla extract
• ½ t salt
• 4 large omega-3 eggs at room temperature

Beat the cream cheese and sugar on the lowest setting of an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth.  Slowly incorporate the flour being careful not to over do it.  Add the puree, spices, vanilla and salt and mix gently until smooth.  Incorporate the eggs one at a time.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan on top of the crust.  Place in the center of the oven on the cookie tray and reduce the heat to 300 degrees after you close the oven door.  Do not open the oven after this until the cheesecake is done.  Bake for 45 minutes at 300 degrees and then turn off the oven, leaving the cake in it for two hours. Again, be sure not to open the oven.

After two hours, remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool complete.  When it is completely cool, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least four-to-five hours, but overnight is best. When ready to serve prepare the streusel.

The Streusel Topping:

• 1 ½ c finely chopped pecans
• 6 T ice cold butter
• ¼ t each cinnamon and powdered ginger

Put the sugar and butter in a bowl and with a fork mash it working it until it looks like meal.  Add the pecans and toss.  Add the cinnamon and ginger and toss.  To serve, remove the outer ring of the spring-from the cheesecake.  Gently spread the streusel over the top.

Optional:  Create a decorative edge with home-made whipped cream and, about an inch apart on the outer circumfrance of the cake, place pecan halves, plain or sugared. 


Gluten-free Mi-Del Ginger Snaps:

The Mi-Del company has a line of gluten-free cookies. The only ones we've tried are the ginger snaps. They're pretty flavorful, and nice and crispy. They make for a pleasant snack and are dunkable. We crush them for cookie crusts in a number of dessert recipes.  Among the advantages are that they are dairy free.  They are not, however, free of potato flour nor are they processed in a dedicated facility. They are not organic.

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

CONTE'S MUSHROOM FLORENTINE PIZZA, product review

Conte's Mushroom Lorentine Pizza
with Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil

This is the best and most palatable packaged gluten-free pizza we've yet to taste.  The aroma is heavenly. There is plenty of cheese and veggies in the flavorful topping. Our only complaint - minor - we would have enjoyed a bit more sauce. We are heavy-duty tomato-sauce lovers. If your mouth is set for the taste and texture of a wheat crust, you'll be disappointed. Having said that, as GF crusts go, it is not bad. It's a bit like a doughy cracker and some might object to that doughiness, but we were okay with it. 


If you are allergic to the gluten in potato, this curst is not made with any potato flour. The cheeses are dairy cheeses. 


This pizza bakes nicely in the middle of the oven and takes 10-12 minutes. With preheat that means you can have it on the table in half-an-hour with time to prepare a salad while it's baking. The package says it serves four. We are little (or not so little!) piglets, so it served two.


The downside is that the pizza is not organic and Conte's plant is not a dedicated plant.

Wheat Free/Gluten Free Ingredients: CRUST: Rice flour, Water, Corn Starch, Tapioca Dextrin, Non-Fat Milk, Whole Eggs, Sugar, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Baking Powder, Soybean Oil, Yeast. TOPPING: Chopped Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, culture, salt, enzymes), Asiago Cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Fresh Sliced White Mushrooms, Baby Leaf Spinach, Olive Oil, Romano Cheese (pasteurized sheep's milk, rennet, bacterial culture, salt) Roasted Garlic.  Contains: Milk, Eggs Good manufacturing practices are used to segregate ingredients in a facility that also processes wheat. NUTRITION FACTS Serving Size 1 slice (113g) Servings Per Container 4 Amount per Serving Calories 240  Calories from fat 90 %Daily Value Total Fat 10g - 16%  Saturated Fat 4.5g - 22%  Trans Fat 0g  Polyunsaturated Fat 0g  Monounsaturated Fat 3.5g Cholesterol 40mg - 14% Sodium 610mg - 25% Total Carbohydrates 27g - 9%  Dietary Fiber 1g - 4%  Sugars 3g  Sugar Alcohol 0g Protein 9g Vitamin A 6% Vitamin 4 2% Calcium 25% Iron 2% COOKING DIRECTIONS: DO NOT MICROWAVE. Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Remove pizza from plastic wrapper and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.

RED BEANS AND RICE, Vegan

Zojirushi Rice Cooker

 The recipe I share here is easy, healthy, filling, budget-wise, great for potlucks, and adaptable. When I prepared it for a potluck recently, I used a vegan soy chorizo sausage knowing it would change the flavor from New Orleans to old Mexico.  If you want to use meat, use andouille sausage and just make sure it's wheat-and-gluten free.

This is the basic recipe, which I'm happy having vegan. I did the brown rice in my Cadillac of rice cookers, the Zojirushi, which was gifted to me by son. It's a fine appliance. The cooked rice is consistent in texture. There's no burning at the bottom. It doesn't dry out the rice when you set the machine at warm  The Zojirushi is attractive - as machines go - and well-built, easy to clean, and has a convenient handle for toting it to potlucks and church suppers.

And now for the red beans, which starts off with the Louisiana trinity. You can do your beans from scratch if you normally do so, or you can use a good organic canned bean ... Eden Foods is organic so it's always a good choice if want a precooked bean. The quality is excellent.  

RED BEANS AND RICE, Wheat-and-Gluten Free, Vegan

The recipe

Serves 6- 8

• 2 cups minced celery
• 2 cups minced yellow onion
• 2 cups minced green bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 28-oz can organic crushed tomatoes
• 1 15-oz cans of organic kidney beans, drain
• 12 oz. vegetable broth, homemade or packaged, wheat-and-gluten free
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried red pepper (adjust to taste)

Sauté the celery, onion, and green pepper in olive oil until they are tender. Add the garlic and stir, cooking for about one minute. Add the tomatoes and the beans and stir. Add the broth and the seasoning and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat immediately. Simmer on low with the lid slightly ajar on the pot for about 45 minutes or so.  If you then let it rest in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors will be enhanced.

Serve over rice ... Yum!

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

COOKING LIKE GRANDMOTHER

Mezzaluna courtesy of Wüsthof.

The thing about our grandmothers and great-grandmothers is that they didn't have rigid recipes. It was all a pinch of this, a handful of that, a tea-cup full of the other thing. They didn't have the appliances we have now. 

The kitchen gadgets they used to cook with involved more labor intensive effort and therefore more connection with ingredients. I like that. I imitate it. I don't have a big, heavy-duty mixer. Occasionally I borrow a food processor, but I don't own one. I do use slow-cookers and a rice cooker, but I don't have a microwave any more.  One of the tools I really like is an old-fashioned mezzaluna (half-moon) or herb-cutter. Despite the Italian name, its origin is actually English.

I had a mezzaluna once, enjoyed it a lot, and lost it when I relocated. Awhile back my daughter-in-law, Karen Fayeth, did a post, Name Your Favorite Kitchen Gadget.  I was one of several who commented in response. I wrote that I like a mezzaluna but had been unable to find one. I thought perhaps they were no longer made. Karen found one and gave it to me for Christmas last year. It's exactly the one pictured above. (World-class, right?) The day I christened it, I made a batch of fish in parsley sauce. Mincing the parsley was quick and easy, but still very hands-on.

An old English mezzaluna by Tracy Hansen via

Wikipedia under GNU Free-Documentation License.

Good low-tech, high-touch old-fashioned kitchen tools . . . I just love them. A mortar-and-pestle, potato masher or a ricer, cast-iron pots, food mills . . . and mezzalunas.  Thanks, Karen!

GREEK TEA AND A GREEK SPINACH PILAF

Chamomile Flowers via Wikipedia
under GNU Free Documentation License

Camomile Tea
Preparation:
Bring hot water to a roiling boil. Water should be at 183 degrees fahrenheit for tea. Pour some of the water into your teapot and swirl to warm the pot. Place one heaping teaspoon of  dried camomile per cup into your teapot. Add boiling water.  Put the cover on the pot and allow to steep for about five minutes.  Sweeten with Greek Honey.






Gluten-free Spinach Pilaf, Spanakorizo
The recipe:
Serves two as a main dish
1 pound of spinach
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh, sweet butter
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup of Lundberg Brown Jasmine Rice
1 tablespoon tomato paste (in a pinch use a quality, gluten-free ketchup*
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 cup feta cheese

Put the spinach in a drainer and rinse it thoroughly several times with cold water.
Put the olive oil and butter in a pan that is large enough to hold the spinach.  Over a low heat slowly brown the onions. When they begin to get golden, add the spinach. Cover the pan and cook until the spinach wilts, which will take about five minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste, the seasonings, and 3/4 cup of water. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover the pan and lower the heat.  Simmer for about one-half hour or until the rice is tender.  Serve hot with crumbled feta on top.

*"Organicville's Ketchup is USDA certified organic, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and contains no added sugar. With less sodium than other brands, our ketchup is fat and cholesterol free, and is also an excellent source of lycopene. Organic ketchups have higher levels of lycopene and anti-oxidant activities than other brands tested." OrganicVille A definate thumbs-up on this one.

Whole Foods' brand ketchup is also a good gluten-free ketchup. However, it is not produced in a dedicated plant.

Dedicated facility: one that produces only wheat-and-gluten free products, thus eliminating the potential for cross contamination.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

JUST 4U: Peet's Coffee & Tea on Gluten-Free

Patricia Crosstown at Public Domain Pictures.net. 

I appreciate this guest post - which originally appeared on Musing by Moonlight - from Lindsey at Peet's HQ.  There are more things on their coffee-and-tea menu for those of us who have to go gluten-free than I thought. Thanks, Lindsey!

I too have to avoid gluten, and I am glad that I can share the following information with [Brooklyn in Translation] readers. Our teas, and herbals (black, green Oolong, white, and herbals) are made without gluten ingredients. The only exception would be our Genmai Cha that contains roasted rice kernels, so this tea would contain rice gluten, which is generally considered "safe gluten". In addition I would like to share that all of our coffees themselves are gluten-free. Our Dutch Cocoa powder and syrup are both made without gluten ingredients. Our syrup is a mixture of sweeteners and Dutch Cocoa(which is ground cocoa) as well. The additional ingredients used in our various bar beverages (milk, Freddo powder, cocoa powder, and all of our other syrups) are all made without gluten ingredients. Our Pacific Soy Milk is made with organic soybeans, is both gluten-free, and casein free.

Jamie's Spanish-Coffee Recipe: Sugar a mug by dipping the rim in orange juice and then granulated sugar.  Blend six oz. of hot, freshly made Peet's Espresso Forté with 1 teaspoon sugar, a 1/2 oz. Tia Maria, and a 1/2 oz. rum. Pour coffee mixture into the mug. Top with freshly whipped, unsweetened cream and a gluten-free maraschino cherry.


Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

GF CINNAMON SUGAR DONUTS, Truly Good

As I write this, these donuts - delicious - are on sale for a dollar off at Whole Foods. They usually run about six dollars. There are six to a package. This might then be the time to try them if you never have before.


Kinnikinnick Foods' Cinnamon Sugar Donuts are probably as close to a cake-like wheat donut as we're likely to get.  They're addictive. I even take one in a plastic bag when I meet friends for coffee. (None of our local cafes offer gluten-free baked goods yet. One does continue to hope... ) You'll find these GF donuts in the frozen food case at select groceries. Link here to find a store in your area.

Kinnikinnick also manufactures chocolate and vanilla iced donuts. I didn't eat iced donuts before I was diagnosed, so I'm not inclined to try them now. However, I suspect that if you liked iced donuts before your dietary restrictions, you might very well enjoy these.


The donuts are wheat-and-gluten, soy, and dairy free.  There is an allergy warning for nuts and sesame.  They are manufactured in a dedicated facility*.


Dedicated facility: one that produces only wheat-and-gluten free products, thus eliminating the potential for cross contamination.


Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

MOM'S Marinara Meat Loaf

*

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia.

MOM'S MARINARA MEATLOAF, GLUTEN-FREE

This recipe

Serves six

• 1 1/2 c. homemade or store-bought marinara sauce, gluten-free
• 3/4 c. whole oats, certified gluten-free*
• 1 large omega-3 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup yellow onion, shredded
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly grated
• 1 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
• 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef, less than 9% fat, or ground turkey breast
• 1/2 lb. mozzarella, sliced

Pre-heat oven to 375º F.  Grease a loaf pan.

Set aside a half-cup of marinara and the mozzarella cheese.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, using your hands to mix well. Be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.

Place half the mixture in the loaf pan and smooth to fit pan. Top with the mozzarella and then the rest of the meat mixture. Spread the reserved half-cup of marinara over the top.  Bake for 50-55 minutes until internal temperature is 160º F if you're using ground beef or 165º F if you're using ground turkey.

* Oats are naturally gluten-free. However, due to crop rotations, they may become contaminated. I rely on Bob's Red Mill for quality and consistency. It offers three oat products. You'll also find some excellent recipes on the site.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

A SIMPLE ORANGE DESSERT, naturally wheat-and-gluten free

Shari Weinsheimer, Public Domain Pictures.net.

Even though oranges are a late-season fruit, have you noticed how beautiful they are in the stores now? Bright. Plump. Juicy.  The truth is that for all the fancy, sugared, complicated desserts there are, there is nothing more pleasing to an unjaded palate than simple fresh fruit. Orange slices with cinnamon is very Middle Eastern, very simple, and absolutely refreshing. Moreover, it's a dessert that's naturally gluten-free.

For four people, just peel and slice three oranges into rounds.  Arrange in an attractive pattern on a serving plate. Dust lightly with cinnamon and serve.

I'm just about to indulge in mine along with a cup of Sadaf tea, a wonderful Lebanese tea made from a blend of black teas and cardamom.  Add a little honey. More simple perfection . . . Highly recommended.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.