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Melanie of Gluten-Free Krums and Avocado Artichoke Salsa

This post is linked to Simply Hot Recipes and Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Several years ago I was happy to discover the book, Buddy, Bagels, and Me. Lovingly written and beautifully illustrated by Melanie Krumrey, it’s her family’s personal story on celiac and gluten intolerance. This book is aimed at children, but reviews said it was great for adults as well because it was written in plain, simple terms. I ordered it immediately for my support group. I was so very pleased when I received it. It’s a totally lovely book that would be helpful to anyone, child or adult, who wants an inroduction to celiac/gluten intolerance. Then a little over a year ago, in my blog reading I followed one link and then another. Next thing I knew I was at the blog Gluten Free Krums. And, there on the sidebar was the book, Buddy, Bagels, and Me. It wasn’t an Amazon store, just the one book. Hmmm, I thought, someone else knows about this great book. I clicked on the link and it took me to the Buddy, Bagels, and Me website. I Finally, I realized that I had happened onto the blog of the author, Melanie Krumrey herself. Gluten-Free Krums is a cute and clever play on her family’s last name. I was so tickled to have found Melanie this way. I had to comment immediately and tell her how much I, and others, had enjoyed her book. I told her that my copy had “walked away” at some point and that I wanted to get another one. Well, next thing I knew Melanie had shipped me a new, complimentary copy. I admit that now I’ve “defaced” my new copy by writing our support group’s name on the front—in the hopes that it won’t walk away permanently next time. 

I’ve adopted Melanie and Gluten-Free Krums this month as part of the monthly Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event. Melanie’s blog is a mixture of tales from her full life; Christian discussions; and recipes. It’s warm and friendly, as is Melanie. She shares quite a lot on her blog … and there’s a lot to share. After all, she’s a homeschooling mother of two teenagers and a tween (yes, extra points are awarded there!), teacher to other children as well through a homeschooling program, minister’s wife, and chef for her gluten-free family. Melanie’s recipes tend to be what I consider “mainstream,” gfe-type recipes—great recipes that make everyone happy. That means that most of her recipes are naturally gluten free, or just require a gluten-free flour mix and/or a few other specialty ingredients. And, her blog offers a good variety of recipes, too, which I love.

We all know I have a sweet tooth and while Melanie has plenty of recipes in that category, I was looking for something in the veggie or entrée category. Perusing her recipe index, I came across Avocado Salsa. A recipe that she said she got from her sister, every ingredient is real food. I’ve been going through the after-work “I want something to eat now” malady of late. This recipe seemed like a great way to satisfy that need while keeping me away from sweets (even gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free ones). The fact is that when I eat good fats—the kind that make up avocados, nuts, olive oil, and such—my cravings are satisfied and the “ache” of the sweet tooth subsides.

As it turned out, I didn’t get to make this salsa until much later in the evening–for a very late dinner. I wanted to go the extra mile and add in another veggie, perhaps eating this salsa using some thick cucumber slices as my “chip,” but an actual tortilla chip was needed for proper scooping. Of course, I loved that little bit of salt and texture contrast the tortilla chips added. (Crackers would also work well with this salsa.) I ended up making a few other changes to Melanie’s recipe. First, my local store was out of canned green chilies, so I finely chopped a few artichoke hearts and added those instead.  I skipped the apple cider vinegar, because I think the artichoke hearts, even unmarinated, add a slightly acidic taste. So the salsa wasn’t particularly spicy or strong in taste, except for the little bite imparted by the green onions, but it was definitely flavorful. Mr. GFE was devouring peel-and-eat shrimp beside me as I prepared this salsa, so I grabbed a few for a colorful and tasty garnish. (Shrimp makes just about every dish better, right?) I did really love this salsa. It’s gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan (when you don’t add the shrimp). Plus, it comes together quickly (no food processor needed) and it’s delicious and totally satisfying. We ended up eating our entire meal while standing at the kitchen counter and it was probably our best one this week!

Many other recipes of Melanie’s are calling my name, too. The top three (at the moment) are: Tropical Pops (including one called Chunky Monkey … hello! having an excuse to create those makes these 90-degree days worthwhile), Black Bean Dip (some goat cheese versus dairy feta and I’ll be in business), and Thai Chicken and Rice (such an easy dish, but you can tell it will be full of flavor).

Please head over to Melanie’s blog and see all that she has to share. You can check out her recipe index here.

Finally, remember that Iris (The Daily Dietribe) will be posting the roundup soon. She adopted Amy of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free and made a wonderful chicken dish of Amy’s. You can check that out here. 

You may be interested in my previous adoptions: Pete and Kelli Bronski of No Gluten, No Problem and Kate Chan of Gluten Free Gobsmacked. And, the person who got it all started for me was Alta (Tasty Eats At Home), when she graciously adopted me a few months back. You can see her tantalizing renditions of my pound cake and chicken tenders here. Of course, don’t forget that Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger is the brainchild of the adorable, Sea, over at Book of Yum. She’s juggling more food intolerances than ever these days with Baby Yum, but you’ll still want to make every single recipe she features on her blog. Consider joining in Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger next month. It’s a great push to make your favorite bloggers’ recipes and share with all!

Not exactly adoption related (although Amy is  definitely always taking folks under her wing and giving them their moment in the spotlight) but Amy is one of eight finalists—and the only gluten-free blogger—in the Foodspring.com blogger contest! Each blogger had to write about his/her most exciting food experience. You can read all the entries and vote here. The deadline is Sunday, June 6. I hope you’ll decide that Amy’s entry is the winning contribution! Imagine all the celiac/gluten intolerance awareness Amy’s win could bring, and if you know Amy, you know she’s more than deserving of this award.

The 30 Days to a Food Revolution event is wrapping up today over at Diane’s (The Whole Gang). These bloggers have all greatly inspired me with their personal stories, tips, and recipes! Today’s featured blogger is Anna Helm-Baxter from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution team. As Diane shares, Anna worked with Jamie on the Food Revolution show in Huntington WV, and has done freelance work for Jamie for several years.  Anna also writes her own blogs, Sweet by Half and Londie Foodie in New York. Please check out her guest post over at Diane’s here. I hope you’ve been able to read every post for this event. If you’re behind on reading, please take the time to catch up. It will be time well spent; I promise you. Also, please don’t forget to sign Jamie’s petition if you believe that U.S. school children should be eating the best food; i.e., real food versus heavily processed foods laden with everything but nutrition. Jamie’s goal is 1 million signatures and, so far, 599,000 folks have signed the petition. You can sign the petition here.

Finally, the winner of the Carrabba’s gift card giveaway is up on my Out and About page. See if you were the lucky one here.

So much good stuff on this first Friday in June … enjoy!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Molasses Banana Bread … or Is It Cake?

This post is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Food on Fridays, Simply Hot Recipes, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Sometimes it’s fond memories that can save a girl. For this month’s challenge over on Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Linda (Gluten-Free Homemaker) chose cake. And, she’s been wowing us with the cakes that she’s come up with—the last one even after going dairy free! First there was Orange Pineapple Cake (not dairy free, but easily made so, if needed) and this week she shared a Lemon Bundt Cake. When Linda first issued the cake challenge, I found all sorts of ideas rolling around in my head, and, well, every single one of them is still there … not fully formulated yet. But, last week for a girlfriends’ tea that I hosted I found myself pulling out a recipe that’s become a family favorite—Molasses Banana Bread.

My good friend, Ann, found the recipe on the back of a molasses jar. She emailed it to me. I immediately converted it to gluten free and well, the rest as they say, is history. Traditional, “blonde” banana bread has not been baked in my loaf pans since.

So where does the “cake” factor come in? Well, this banana bread made with molasses is dark and rich, and tastes a lot like a famous chocolate cinnamon cake that is served at one of our local restaurants. Without fail when I make this and give Mr. GFE a chunk, he always says, “Hmmm, chocolate cake.” (LOL Okay, maybe he’s a slow study when it comes to this bread.) And, when I made it as part of a dinner (which also included special turkey breast and pan-baked potatoes) for a co-worker friend whose wife was ill, he came back the next day raving over all, but corrected me on the molasses banana bread. “That’s not bread,” he said. “That’s cake!” So thanks to that memory of Perry for saving me on Linda’s cake challenge!

Molasses Banana Bread
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)
 
4 tbsp butter, softened (or coconut oil, liquefied)
3/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup sugar (granulated sugar, Demerera sugar; I bet coconut sugar would be great, too)
1 1/4 cup “all-purpose” gluten-free flour mix*
1 heaping tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I used walnuts this time)

Other optional ingredients are mini chocolate chips, orange zest, and nutmeg.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease loaf pan (I used two mini loaf pans) and then coat with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. (I always have cinnamon-sugar made up for my cinnamon-sugar-crusted almond popovers.)
 
Cream butter, molasses, and sugar.
 
Whisk in flour, salt, and baking soda until well mixed and evenly brown.
 
Beat in eggs.

Stir in bananas and any optional ingredients.
 
Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (Even the mini loaves take 50 minutes.) Cool in pan for 10 – 15 minutes before removing to cool completely. Now see if you can hold off from eating a piece!

*I can’t always tolerate many of the healthier, gluten-free flours; e.g., sorghum, buckwheat. Therefore, my gluten-free flour mix is 3 parts Asian white rice flour (which is very finely ground) and 2 parts cornstarch. I gently mix three one-lb bags of the Asian white rice flour and two one-lb boxes of cornstarch in a very large bowl and then store the mix in several airtight containers. It’s a very economical mix that works well in most recipes. No refrigeration is needed. However, I’m sure another mix of other gluten-free flours that one would use in similar recipes could work as well.

Adapted from a recipe on the back of the molasses jar thanks to my friend, Ann

One of my new Twitter friends is Kim Maes of Cook It Allergy Free. When I mentioned I had Molasses Banana Bread baking in the oven, a few folks got excited! Kim stated that she had all the ingredients and asked when I would post the recipe. Knowing how posts can get OBE (overcome by events), I emailed Kim the recipe rather than make her wait. She emailed me later that when she went to make the recipe, she discovered that her children had consumed all the bananas she had on hand. But, what mom can complain about her kids eating bananas? So she picked up some more bananas the next day and made the recipe. She sent me her review:

“That bread was DELICIOUS!!! Oh my goodness! I cannot believe the flavor that the molasses lends to it.  I have not combined molasses and bananas before, but they work so great together!!”

She also told me about the changes she made:

“Only thing different that I did was that I used 1 cup of Pamela’s flour blend and 1/4 cup of almond flour (I always try to add a little almond flour into all of my baking – Pamela’s has some in it too).  Since almond flour is pretty heavy, I separated out 1 of the whites and after beating in the other whole egg and yolk, I separately beat the one separated white and folded it in so that I would get a little more rise out of the bread.  Worked great!!!”

Here’s Kim’s photo. She took it at night (not daring to wait until morning when her hungry kids were up!), so she said it was not her best. I still think it’s great. The bread looks absolutely delicious and her healthier version looks very similar to mine.

So, bread or cake? It’s molasses and bananas that come together with a crusty cinnamon-sugar coating to taste like delicious cake, even if it is shaped like a loaf. After all, even my perfect pound cake, I bake in loaf pans. Make this recipe and then tell me what you think it should be called.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

The New BBC–Bourbon Banana Colada

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, and Simply Hot Recipes.

You might be thinking that “the new BBC” is a referencing the British Broadcasting Corporation, but really BBC is another, well-loved cocktail. I first sampled it in the British Virgin Islands (BVIs). Virgin Gorda, to be exact. We had just experienced the magic that is The Baths (a labryrinth of massive granite boulders at the water’s edge–see photos here and here). Ready for a cold drink, we all trekked up the hill to the Top of the Baths. The Top of the Baths features a restaurant, lounge, pool, and shops—with stunning views of the BVIs. When we reached the top, Son and our nephew immediately hit the pool. Mr. GFE ordered his standard beer and I tried to decide between some Bailey’s Irish Cream or a tropical classic, a Pina Colada. The bartender, hearing my dilemma, kindly suggested a BBC—a Bailey’s Banana Colada. I had never even heard of a BBC, but I sure liked the sound of it. One sip and I was a fan! Yes, it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds. A sort of milkshake made from some of my very favorite ingredients. I had one, then another. Don’t worry though. We weren’t driving. We had chartered a private yacht for the week … with crew. If you’re looking for a special vacation, that’s one we highly recommend. And, surprisingly, it’s no more expensive than a week at a very nice resort with meals and drinks. But, back to this BBC …

BBCs have been on my mind of late. Our cousins, frequent visitors to the Virgin Islands, had emailed me a video of one of the friendly bartenders at their favorite bars blending up a BBC. That email has remained in my In Box. I kept thinking that I really needed to make a BBC. But shortly thereafter I decided I should go dairy free so Bailey’s was off limits. (Note: The makers of Bailey’s Irish Cream state that Bailey’s is not gluten free. At one time they used to state it was gluten free. To my knowledge the formulation did not change and I have never had an issue drinking it. It could perhaps be the case of another company that refuses to make that statement for fear of lawsuits and lack of an FDA definition of “gluten free.” So, please use your own judgment about drinking Bailey’s Irish Cream.)

But, I was still thinking of BBCs when I read that my friend, Diva, over at Beach Eats, was hosting a bit of a contest. Her Thirsty Thursdays May Challenge featured bourbon as one of the challenge ingredients. Clearly, I had to make a bourbon version of the BBC. So I did. I made a half gallon of the new BBC and took it to a family crab feast on Saturday. Those who sampled it really enjoyed it, but let’s face it, beer is usually the drink of choice when eating steamed crabs. So I wasn’t surprised or the least bit disappointed to take about half of the BBC batch home with me. In fact, the leftover libation went into the cooler when it got packed for an overnight trip to our mountain property the next day. As Mr. GFE mowed the grass that afternoon, I confess that I sat by the fire and sipped on my bourbon banana colada … also reading the paper, and watching hundreds of folks float by in canoes, kayaks, and tubes. I had already done my camping set-up chores, so I didn’t feel at all guilty. I was quite content actually. Oh, and if you are wondering, yes, the BBCs did taste even better the second day!

While this new BBC doesn’t quite make the grade of the original Bailey Banana Colada in my opinion, it’s still very good. If the weather is just right, sip this out on your veranda, but if it’s sultry, then by all means retreat to the cooler indoors.

Bourbon Banana Colada
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

½ cup bourbon
one shot dark rum
one large banana, sliced and frozen preferably (can use slightly more if you love bananas)
one cup pineapple chunks with juice (or pineapple juice)
one cup full-fat coconut milk (chilled is good)
¼ cup shredded coconut
about 8 ice cubes (or more if needed–if a frozen banana is not used or other ingredients are not chilled)

Mix all in blender.

To prepare glass for serving, pour small amount of bourbon in bowl. Pour small amount of brown sugar or raw sugar in another bowl; set beside other bowl. Dip inverted glass in bourbon and then immediately dip the glass in the sugar. Turn upright. Pour BBC into the glass in the center without disturbing sugar. Garnish with a banana slice.

Makes about one quart.

Adapted from several BBC recipes and my pina colada recipe

Shirley’s Notes: I doubled the batch to make my half gallon that I took to the party. However, I had to mix it in a large bowl and then blend only a portion at a time as my blender does not hold two quarts. This drink does not have a strong alcoholic taste. You can adjust bourbon and rum amounts if you’d like a more “potent potable.” I used Demerera sugar to dip my glass in. Many BBC and colada recipes, in general, call for mixes. I’m not a fan due to the other ingredients in such mixes. It’s quite easy to make these types of drinks “from scratch.” This recipes is gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free, excluding the sugar on the rim of the glass and the fact that alcohol itself converts to sugar.

Finally, be sure to check back over at Diva’s on Thursday for the roundup and the announcement of the winner. Diva’s Thirsty Thursday events are always fun and refreshing; be sure to check them out. Just the other day she headed off to the New York City Library for a mixology function. Does your local library have cool events like that? No, mine either. It’s okay though, just make your own Bourbon Banana Colada (or an original BBC) to sip at home. I don’t think you’ll miss the library if you’re sipping one of these.

Enjoy!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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