Who says gluten-free has to be boring?

Since having to go GF back in January I've learned a few things about taste. Most GF products still taste great and similar to their non-GF predecessors, but there are some products that pretty much taste like the empty roll of toilet paper. Being new at this whole diet, I thought that was the way it was gonna be and I'd just have to adapt to the change.

Oh how naive I was.....

GF can still taste great! So I'll let you in on a few of my favorite tricks and favorite GF products.

Most of my GF mixes comes from the RED MILL brand that I buy from Meijer (I'm sure others stores stock it as well). Their mixes taste great and the prices are reasonable. If you haven't figured it out yet, most things labeled 'Gluten-Free' are highly overpriced. So my goal when I go grocery shopping is trying to find the best product for the best price, and, yes, it means spending A LOT of time in the grocery store(s) - (the main reason I usually end up going solo). The Red Mill's brand has everything from pizza mix (which can also be used to make cinnamon rolls) to cornbread mix to pancake mix. Yesterday for dinner I made a GF stuffed crust pan pizza. Amazingly delicious doesn't quite express the yumminess we devoured. I had many friends ask for the recipe. So I will share my beloved pizza making skills with you Ü

It's simple really. If I can do it, so can you. You'll need the Red Mill's GF Pizza Crust mix, warm water, 2 eggs, olive oil, and a yeast packet (that comes IN the bag). That's it. Simple ingredients, right? Just follow the instructions on the side of the bag and BAM - you'll have an amazing GF pizza. The nice thing about this brand is the mix makes two 12'' pizzas or one 16'' pizza. When I make a stuffed crust pizza I usually will make a 16''.

I had some friends ask me how I stuff my crust (that kind of sounds.......dirty). ANNNNND moving on.......

The instructions say to cook the crust for 7-9 minutes BEFORE putting any sauce or toppings on the pizza. BEFORE you do this step you need to stuff your crust so it allows the cheese more time to melt. After you have the dough laid out in your pan, place your cheese all the way to the edge of the dough. I just use string cheese (mozzarella). Leave about and inch or so in-between each cheese....you'll need the room for rolling. After you've placed the cheese on the dough (I use about 6 string cheeses for a 16'') start gently rolling the dough and cheese TOWARDS the center of the crust (covering the cheese with the dough and you go). You don't need to necessarily completely cover the cheese with dough. When I did it I made sure about 3/4 of the cheese was covered. The rest will be covered by sauce and toppings. After you've rolled your cheese into the dough you can THEN cook your crust for 7-9 minutes. After the first round of cooking, take your dough out and add your sauce and toppings then place back in the oven for another 15-18 minutes.

One thing about cooking GF is the cooking process is usually different than cooking with regular wheat flour. If I could give any advice it would be to FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Rice flours and all the other GF flours cook differently so you need to make sure to read carefully.

Red Mill's GF Pizza Crust Mix

The before

And the after

(Looks amazingly delicious right??!?)

And here's my slice right before it was devoured in 2 seconds

It takes about an hour (maybe less) from start to finish, but it is WELL worth your time. And about $4 or so bucks for the mix, you can't beat it!

Some of my other favorite mixes are:

Red Mill's Bread Mix

One thing to note about GF breads is they are typically dryer than wheat based breads. Don't fret! Thats an easier fix than you think. I follow the recipe on the bag, but add some moisture based foods like sour cream, powdered milk, potato flakes, or yogurt. I don't ever have a specific measure for how much I do, I just eye it. If you're unsure a 1/4 of a cup should do it.

Red Mill's All Purpose Baking Flour Mix

 This stuff is the BOMB! When I first become GF I research and research and research how to make my how GF All Purpose Flour mix. Needless to say, not only was my mind overloaded, but I also became discouraged! Not only did I have to purchase MANY items to make for ONE flour mix, but it was expensive. Other GF All Purpose Flour mixes I found online and in 'hippie food store' (aka Whole Foods, Fresh Market, etc) costed more than my first born. I honestly thought I was going to starve for the rest of my life (not really, but you get the picture). One day while I was happily walking through Costco I spotted Red Mill's GF-APBF mix - and for around $8-9 bucks a bag (5 lbs) I thought I won the Powerball! You may be thinking, now Darci, that's pricey! Guess what folks, compared to others......this is a deal! Plus I trust Red Mill's brand.

Betty Crocker's GF Cookie Mix

HELLLLLLLO HEAVEN! Let me tell you something. When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, my honest to heavens response (and first world problem issue) was "IM GOING TO STARVE AND NEVER EAT AGAIN, THIS IS AWFUL!!!!" I mean, think about it, how much of the food you eat has gluten in it? Just about everything! Sauces, seasonings, pastas, dressings, ice cream, drinks, and so on and so on. So when you find something like COOKIES that are GF, it feels a lot like Christmas. Betty Crocker also makes and GF Brownie mix and GF Cake (chocolate and vanilla) mix. All are amazing.

THAI Kitchen Rice Noodles

  

Think going GF means no more pasta? Think again my friend. Rice noodles is your salvation. When I first started buying GF noodles I started debating whether I was going to drop noodles and pasta off my food chain, they were pricey!! A tip for you......DO NOT purchase pastas from wheat based branded companies (ex. Barilla, Kraft, ConAgra, etc). Once they have it stamped GF the prices skyrocket. Save yourself some $$$$$$ and check out the asian section in your grocer. Most of their pastas are made from rice. Rice = GF. I picked up a box of THAI Kitchen rice noodles for a little over $2 (Meijer)! They are delicious and it makes my wallet (and husband) happy.

Gillian's GF Croutons

I LOVE croutons on my salad, so you can imagine I had another 'christmas moment' when I found these (once again at Meijer). They taste great and aren't badly priced. GF Croutons are something you CAN make on your own if you want to put the time into it.

These are just a few of my favorite GF products. Im sure there are some I'm missing, but will be happy to blog about again when I remember the rest. Living GF doesn't have to feel like the end of the world (once again, first world probs), you can make it 'easier' with the right tools and information. I'm constantly learning and researching and will be happy to help in anyway that I can!! Hope you found this blog helpful!

DARCI