quinoa is officially mainstream.

Photograph by Heidi Swanson

Check out this feature blog from Bon Appétit magazine. Quinoa has DEFINITELY made the mainstream. Go ancient grain, go!

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August 23, 2011

pantry panic: gluten-free tuna casserole.

You know how sometimes you get home from work a little later than usual and it’s the first time all day you’ve thought about dinner and you’re starving and you’ve forgotten that there’s absolutely nothing in your pantry? Just that lonely can of tuna you were saving for lunch one of these days. Maybe some frost-bitten peas in the back of the freezer behind the block of ice that you’ve avoided for the last year-and-a-half because it reeks of old salmon.

August 12, 2011

seed mix on the go.

We love granola but frankly, in the gluten free realm, it can get little pricey. Most often we make our own granola using Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats but sometimes life gets in the way and there is a void in our morning yogurt and fruit ritual that leaves us craving heartiness (and our stomachs grumbling). To hedge off the hunger, we’ve found we can simply buy nuts and seeds in bulk and just mix them together on the fly to add texture, protein and fiber to any meal.

August 11, 2011

gf take ‘n’ bake pizzas.

We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate that there are so many gluten-free dining and shopping options here in Northern California. One of our very favorite grocery stores is Andy’s Produce in Sebastopol, Calif. where an entire aisle is packed with some of the best gluten-free products around. You’ve got yer Mama Baretta breads & cookies, a whole bunch of Pamela’s Products, Mi-Del, Gluten Free Pantry, Udi’s, Rudi’s, Legacy Valley, Cherybrook Kitchen, Enjoy Life, and so many more yummy and wholesome snacks.

June 29, 2011

betty crocker baker’s challenge: gluten free recipe contest.

Calling all gluten-free bakers! Get an early taste of the holidays with the Betty Crocker^® Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest!

Gluten Freely is looking for the most creative and inspired gluten-free holiday recipe made with a Betty Crocker Gluten Free dessert mix or Bisquick^® Gluten Free baking mix. Share how you’ve made your classic favorites work for a gluten-free holiday celebration or created new traditions of your own! It’s your turn to shine!

1 Comment June 14, 2011

gluten-free nocino. OR, an italian digestif.

Ah, the digestif. One of us at The Lab is particularly fond of the strange mediciney mix of herbs and booze (see Fernet-Branca and Barolo Chinato). Thought to aid in digestion, digestifs are served at the end of a meal (although modern medicine discredits this supposed aid in digestion!). If your sensitivity to gluten extends to alcohol, though, many of these delectable digestifs may be off-limits to you because they are made with grain-distilled alcohols. Behold the homemade digestif, and NOW is the time to make nocino (noh-chee-no)!

June 13, 2011

flowers are vegetables, too.

You’re familiar with the old adage, when life gives you lemons make lemonade?

Yesterday The Lab’s kitchen garden was ruthlessly attacked by a rogue gopher, leaving behind one fallen nasturtium plant. This after just having painstakingly lined the entire garden with impenetrable gopher wire. This after seeing the first couple of blossoms on our nasturtium plants and rejoicing the start of our edible flower crop.

2 Comments June 7, 2011

kelp noodle salad with baked tofu.

Kelp noodles, huh?

Before you dawg us and declare us hopeless California hippies, imagine this: a noodle that is cool & refreshing, crispy like a mouthful of sprouts and neutral in flavor. It could very easily be an alternative noodle in your run-of-the-mill Vietnamese Bún, or it could just be a member of the supporting cast in soups and stir frys.

2 Comments May 5, 2011

gluten in…tea?!

Heads up my GF tea drinking friends because it is true: gluten can lurk where we least expect it: in our cups of tea. Tea nerd alert: tea is actually camellia sinensis, a specific shrub, and herbal teas are typically infusions and do not contain any actual tea. If you stick with straight up tea, you know you are getting a cup of camellia sinensis, whether that tea is black, green, white or oolong. But what if you want a comforting caffeine-free beverage made of an infusion of herbs, flowers, bark and leaves? What could possibly contain gluten in herbal tea?

10 Comments March 25, 2011

gluten-free sweet potato biscuits.

Oh, Bon Appétit, how you surprise us! The latest issue of your magazine is crammed with Thanksgiving recipes, and among them is a recipe for gluten-free sweet potato biscuits. Rejoice and praise the test cooks & editors who have realized that gluten-free has gone mainstream! GFers, they’ve thrown us a bone by way of this one little recipe. Woo!

2 Comments November 8, 2010