Gluten Free on a Shoestring Cookbook Review

Kayleigh here! We're going to be taking a bit of a break from recipes as we tackle a mounting pile of product reviews. Our relatives have been ridiculously supportive since Jason had to make the switch to gluten-free cuisine, and have been sending us everything from recipe emails and brand suggestions, to flour mixes, gluten free imitation brands, and even several cookbooks!  In fact, while we are on that topic, how about we start with Gluten Free on a Shoestring, by Nicole Hunn!

This book is amazing, not only for the delicious and diverse recipes, but also the extensive front section detailing how to plan, shop, and cook with money saving in mind- something that seemed impossible from when we first tossed the all-purpose white flour and ramen noodles! With tips like worthwhile flour blends and general price comparisons, she even goes into how to plan from week to week by 'piggy-backing' perishable ingredients to use up bulk purchases, saving you tons in the long run.

As far as the recipes go, Hunn has put together quite the variety! Of course, she tackles the breads, muffins, and pastries that are staples of gluten-free learning, but what makes this cookbook unique is her additions of foods that, while they SHOULD be safe, the pre-made purchases often have flour or some form of gluten as an additive to save money. Recipes for hoisin sauce, roasted red pepper hummus, and savory slow-cooked black beans are all present as simple solutions to your gluten free rut. And boy, these dishes don't disappoint!

Just last week, Jason and I gave a go at the tantalyzing Tomato Soup recipe, wishing to satisfy that yearning for a warm bowl of Campbells soup and a melty grilled cheese sandwich on a cold early winter's night. And boy, did this hit the spot! The taste was nearly identical to what we remembered, but even thicker and more satisfying because of the whole pureed potatoes, carrots, and roasted tomatoes. (And you know what? A darn sight healthier, too!)

Jason here. The tomato soup was absolutely delicious. It was very hearty, and had quite the bit of taste to it. It had a very good consistency, thick but not overly so.  I’m hard pressed to find many words to describe tomato soup. I will simply leave it, with we will be trying many more recipes by Nicole Hunn.

Chilis review

Jason here. Most of the restaurants we have been reviewing are local to King County, WA. Whenever we travel, we are never sure where we can go. Friend and family always want to eat out, but we are unsure of where we can local that would be safe. Without prior research, that only leaves national chains. Recently we tried our luck at Chilis.

For those of you who have never been, it is a grill and bar type restaurant, with a tex-mex theme. It has a bustling atmosphere, but quieter than some of the louder of chain restaurants.

I’m happy to say they have a gluten free menu. In fact, they have allergen menus for Soy, Gluten, Milk, Nuts, Shellfish, fish, and egg. I can certainly appreciate a restaurant that has an official allergen menu, as it makes me feel safe eating the food. Unfortunately the menu is lacking in variety.

I found myself ordering the original ribs, with a side of loaded mashed potatoes. The ribs were good, with a tangy BBQ sauce which I enjoyed. The loaded mashed potatoes were also good, but were a little light on the toppings. Even worse, is that for appetizers you really don’t have any options. My table ordered the Bottomless Tostada Chips. While these should be gluten free, they are not listed on the gluten free menu. Most likely this is because they use the same deep fryer, so they are an eat at your own risk type food. I had a few myself, and felt fine afterwards.

Kayleigh here. I will say, Chili’s seems to know what it means to offer gluten free options. Your choices are definitely limited, but it is not a death spell if your friends decide they are in the mood for something more mainstream. And if nothing on there tickles your fancy, then you can always look to the extensive margarita menu, then check back to see if anything seems more appetizing.

All in all, Chilis will do in a pinch, but the lack of veriety and generally busy atmosphere would not make it my first go to resteraunt.

Product Review - Manini's Bread

Kayleigh here. I'm just going to throw it out here: baking every loaf of bread from scratch isn't exactly friendly on your time. But after choking down one too many slices of store bought brands, we had simply resigned ourselves to laboring in the kitchen at least once a week to make sure something at least halfway edible would be in the fridge for quick lunch fixes. Those simple days of buying bread were simply gone... until a friend keyed us into Manini brand bread.

Yes, Manini isn't as widely available as Udi's or Rudi's, but there are still many markets in the Seattle area that carry this special brand. Dense, chewy, and flavorful, their sandwich bread hearkens back to the gluten-full brands of yore, with only the label to remind you otherwise.

Manini's bread has an interestingly light sourdough tang to the taste, so I would say the loaves are better used in savory meals, like cold cut sandwiches or veggie hummus combos. Toasting the slices does mellow this taste, making it a great vessel for jams, nut butters, or a simple drizzle of melted butter and honey. Really, I enjoy the slightly tangy contrast the bread provides- a far cry from bland rice loaves- but I could see where this may clash with certain condiments.

Jason here. Manini’s breads are pretty good. To be honest, at this point I’m starting to forget what normal bread tasted like. Manini’s does taste a little like sourdough bread. I like to take turkey, American cheese, and mayonnaise sandwiches to work. This bread works pretty well for those. Our Brown Rice Bread is also pretty good, but it has more of an earthly taste. We will certainly continue to bake our own breads, but for now I am happy to have two great breads to use for sandwiches. Perhaps soon we will get a light pastry bread to try. Stay tuned!

Mozzarella Sticks Recipe

Kayleigh here! So, this week seems like a good time to talk about appetizers. Growing up, we'd have a schmorgashboard of appetizers every New Years Eve, to snack on all night instead of a regular meal. Seriously, I looked forward to that holiday so much- all that variety!

Of course, this meant we developed quite the catalogue of appetizer recipes, and tried to improve on the different dishes each passing year. From sweet and sour meatballs and stuffed mushrooms, to spinach dip on escarole and baked brie, trust me when I say we really ran the gamut.

So, now that Jason and I are spending those family occasions together, it is about time we updated those recipes to make them a little more... Gluten free friendly. So, without further ado, how about we tackle Mozzarella sticks first?

We ate these puppies with potato, beef, and onion croquettes, since the fryer was already fired up. Sorry, no recipe for those here!

Just a warning, though: this recipe is pretty much an all day process. Each coat of breading needs over an hour of freezer time to set. So, it is not heavy-duty work, but it is a plan ahead sort of appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 block Mozzarella Cheese
2 Eggs
4 TBS Milk
1/2 ts Salt
3/4 cup Garbanzo Flour
3/4 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Crushed Corn Flakes or Breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

Directions:

1) Slice mozzarella block into long strips.
2) Beat eggs in one bowl, adding the milk until just combined. In another bowl, combine Garbanzo flour, corn starch, and salt.
3) Dip mozzarella sticks in egg wash, then coat in flour mix. Place the coated sticks onto a cookie sheet, and place in the freezer for 1 1/2 hours or so, until the flour coat is completely solid. Put the eggwash in the fridge, so it does not sit out and get warm that whole time.
4) Repeat step 3, so the sticks have two coats of flour now.
5) Fill a final bowl with the crushed cornflakes. Dip sticks in egg, then cornflakes, then line them up on the sheet for another hour to freeze 'em. Don't take them back out until you're ready for frying- you want them cold.
6) Heat a pan full of oil until adding a drop of water makes it sizzle like crazy. Then, add the mozzarella sticks to the oil, turning them once to make sure all the sides get good and golden brown. Don't keep them in for long at all- the cheese can start to escape, and you could turn the whole pot into a melty, oily mess!
7) Lay onto a plate covered in paper towels, to wick some of the excess oil off. Wait to eat them until they've cooled mostly. Seriously, don't try molten mozzarella.

Serve with marinara sauce, and savor the crunchy, creamy golden goodies. You earned it!

Jason here. These mozzarella sticks turned out really good. When we first set out, we were not sure if the breading was going to react the same way as normal flour to deep frying. We had some experience with our buffalo calamari, but a longer multiple coat process like this was still somewhat new to us.

We were very happy when the coating starting turning golden brown, a good sign they will crispy afterwards. They tasted great. Mozzarella is one of my favorite cheeses, and breading turned out very crispy just the way I like it.

There is one problem that we never figured out a solution for, and that is how to serve these hot. This isn’t a unique problem to gluten free mozzarella sticks, but just to mozzarella sticks in general. They tend to reach room temperature very fast after taking them out of the fryer, so that by the time you sit down, you have to get up and microwave them again. If anyone knows a solution to this, let us know in the comments below.

Despite that, these turned out great and I would for sure make them again.