I've spent the last several years as a custom cook in my house. Mind you, I wasn't out to raise picky eaters. Conjuring up individualized meals was a necessity. The discovery that the health issues plaguing my kids (and myself) stemmed primarily from a multitude of food allergies and a family history of Celiac disease led to a lot of trial and error in the kitchen. Now, cooking gluten free is a way of life and something I don't think twice about.
When I began posting some of my recipes on my blog, A Writer's Rush, my kids were also dairy free. Although I still buy Almond milk rather than cow's milk, dairy in other forms (ie. cheese etc...) are now a part of our diet. I'm including the links to the recipes I've posted, but note that anywhere a dairy substitute is used, I use dairy or almond milk now.
Also, since going gluten free has become a popular trend (even for those where it's not medically required), new brands pop up all the time on grocery shelves. Don't you love supply and demand? Hence, my brands of choice change all the time (based on taste). Some of our current favorite gluten free staples I keep at home are:
Bob's Red Mill flours: white rice, brown rice, tapioca starch, potato starch and corn (plus a few others as needed).
Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta: Favorite brand that is actually a blend of Quinoa and corn. This is so much better than rice pasta, since it's less starchy and doesn't stick together. It's healthier and tastes better than regular pasta (kind of like egg noodles).
Udi's Bread: I buy it in the frozen food aisle and stock up. It's the only brand I've tried that tastes like regular bread and doesn't require toasting to taste good (though it makes great toast too). They make hamburger buns, hot dog buns, sandwich bread...you name it. Although we eat a lot of whole grain, I buy the 'white' rice version of Udi's due to food sensitivities in one of my boys. I'm not sure how their whole grain version tastes.
Glutino: Pretzels and sometimes cookies...all varieties.
Earth Balance Buttery Spread (favorite substitute, although I now use organic butter from pastured cows)
Silk Almond Milk: The chocolate flavor is great too. I make hot chocolate from scratch, but when I don't have time, Silk chocolate milk in the microwave makes for a quick treat.
Okay, I could go on and on (note: I don't get anything for mentioning brands...I'm just trying to save you some taste test blahs). I'll stop before I end up with an entire pantry list, but if you're in search of a particular ingredient and are wondering what I use, feel free to ask.
In the meantime, check out the recipes I've posted on my blog. The links are below and I'll add to the list in the future. Please note, these are recipes I've come up with so please give credit if passed along.
Tahini and Tuna Salad
Baked Salmon with Avocado-Mango Chutney
Gluten Free/Dairy Free Pan Bread - (note: Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour does NOT substitute well in this recipe...the bread will come out gummy instead of fluffy). This is a family fave...kind of like pita bread. It's great dipped in olive oil and herbs, or for picking up crumbled feta drizzled with olive oil and crushed dry mint. Endless possibilities!
GF/DF Almond Pound Cake (note: Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour may be substituted instead of the white rice flour and tapioca starch, though you might end up with a denser cake)
GF/DF Brownies
GF/DF Pumpkin Pie - Note: This is one recipe that I now make with dairy. Feel free to use evaporated milk as you would with a regular pumpkin pie. It's the crust that makes the GF difference. I've finally figured out how to make a GF 'traditional' crust, but still use the crackers if I can find them.
That's it for now...
Wishing you all great health and happy taste buds!
UPDATE:
A Heartwarming Thanksgiving includes my gluten free recipe for Butternut Squash Cheesecake...along with my short story, The Sweetheart Tree, about an environmental activist who never backs down from fighting for a cause, but lacks the courage to face her family after a tragedy (tied to my From Kenya, with Love series). Amazon
A Heartwarming Christmas Recipe and Craft Book includes several of my gluten free recipes, plus a few crafts! In addition to recipes/crafts from other authors, you'll find my gluten free snowflake cookies (Italian Pizzelles), an improved recipe for my GF snowball cookies, GF peppermint brownies, my recipe for an eco-friendly, 'green' lavender/peppermint aromatherapy and room deodorizing spray and more. Amazon
