Since I have four kiddos, I have been forced to enter the world of pre-made gluten free foods and mixes. I wanted to give you a top ten from a lady who has wasted more money on GF wonderfoods (or at least they said that on the package) than you can imagine so maybe you won't have to.

1. Tinkyada Rice Pasta: replaces pasta in all your recipes, and actually keeps its shape (which is more than I can say for other GF pastas). Even gluten eaters won't know the difference (I say this from experience). They make all shapes from elbow mac to lasagna noodles.

2. Amy's Organic frozen food: They even make a GF mac and cheese! And her other stuff is yummy too.

3. Mi-del GF Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies: Once again, even fools the gluten eaters in the family, thumbs up.

4. Enviro-kids Organics Cereals: We always have these at home. They make three varieties that are GF and kid friendly.

5. Strech Island Fruit Leather: Great take it with you snack... And lasts longer in the diaper bag than a piece of fresh fruit, haha.

6. Pamela's Products Chocolate Brownie Mix: Very yummy and easy to make, I like it the best of all the mixes I have tried so far.

7. Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful GF Bread: This mix has been saving my behind since I have a hard time making GF bread (well, who doesn't). Turns out well in the breadmaker and works for sandwiches.

8. Enviro-kids cereal bars: See #5, same idea;)

9. Ken's Steakhouse Buttermilk Ranch Dressing: Because if you can dip it in ranch, a kid will eat it.

10. Coco Krispies: This is the only GF cereal I can find reliably almost everywhere. Yeah. Full of sugar, but better than trying to force a choice other than cereal (because you know how agreeable a four year old is in the AM).

Gluten-free hamburger buns...

I modified the workable wonder dough, again. I've done two things. First I made some pretzels. They're fantastic! I froze them, they cook for 40 seconds in the microwave and they tast just like a store-bought pretzel! After I'd formed them, I brushed them with and egg to give them that dark-brown and pretty look.

I also made hamburger buns. I substituted 25% of my flour for pure Quinoa in the buns, and they had a delightfully rustic taste and texture. Kind of like cibatta bread! Tonight I try grinding my own grains (buckwheat and amaranth) and I will be making spaghetti and meatballs. Thank God for Tinkyada! I may try pure amaranth flat bread, I'll post the results here.

Happy eating!

Notes on gluten free roux:

In my last post I made a gluten free roux, here are some notes from my experiences:

• White rice flour works best and browns slower
• Oil will not make a good thickener, butter is vastly superior for texture and keeps it from seperating
• This roux will still brown much faster than flour, so cook no hotter than med-high and WATCH!! It will scorch very quickly and you will end with a dark roux when you wanted a blonde...
• It appears to have the same basic thickening power and taste as flour
  

Happy eating!

Here's a great recipe for Mac and Cheese, gluten free style:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 cups or so milk
  
• 4 tbsp rice flour
• 4 tbsp butter
• nutmeg
• cayenne pepper
• cloves
• salt & pepper
• 12 oz Tinkyada macaroni, slightly undercooked
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese for topping
• 4 slices GF bread, tossed in olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter over med-low heat, when melted add flour. Cook stirring constantly until a blonde roux is acheived (should smell nutty and be starting to change color to a nice blonde). Add milk a little at a time, allowing to thicken between additions. When all milk has been added it should be the thickness of gravy. If it's too pasty, add a little more milk. Add a dash of nutmeg, cloves and cayenne, then add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to simmer and stir in cheese, making sure it's totally melted. Stir macaroni into sauce, pour in 9x13 glass baking dish, top with cheese and bread. Bake in oven for one half hour until bread is browned and cheese is bubbly. Spoon onto plates and indulge.

Happy eating!

The previously posted bread recipe also makes fantastic pizza!! I simply took the dough, rolled it out on cookie sheets (made two pizzas) and rolled the edges over for a thicker crust. I then pre-baked it in a 400° oven for about 8 minutes. I took it out, topped it and put it back in for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese was browning around the edges and the crust was nice and brown (a little more than golden).

This pizza was hands down the best pizza I've made so far. I topped mine with pesto and cheese!! Here's my pesto recipe:

• Ingredients
  
• 3 cups fresh basil
  
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
  
• 4 cloves garlic
  
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
  
• Olive oil
  

Place pine nuts and garlic in food processor, process until chopped. Add basil and process until chopped well. Add all the cheese and process until a good consistency is reached, then add oil a little at a time. More for pasta less for pizza.

This is great for use on Tinkyada pasta as well as spreading on a pizza. A dollop can be added to tomato soups for a savory treat or it can be frozen for later use. Just pour a little oil on top to keep it from oxidizing!

Happy eating!