Smoked Salmon and Spinach Goat Cheese Strata

A secret ingredient makes this gluten-free strata recipe special.

The day was clear and chilly here by the mesa. Perfect for a pinon fire in the kiva. We lit vanilla candles and played my favorite mix of winter music- traditional Jewish and Celtic with a little Tom Waits, Sarah McLachlan and Joni Mitchell- pining about rivers or snow or waltzing Matilda- thrown in.

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Gluten Free Anniversary #5

One year ago today I was living on Cape Cod, blogging about my fourth gluten-free anniversary and contemplating a bowl of peppermint ice cream for breakfast. I was just getting the hang of this whole blogging thing, wondering if anyone would even be interested in the gluten-free recipes I wanted to share.

This morning I sit typing in my tidy New Mexico casita, sipping a mug of hot chamomile tea- a thousand miles away from one year ago. Dry snowflakes fall on the junipers outside my window. The Old Women Mesa is softened in a tender blanket of white.

Five years gluten-free. It's a milestone. And bittersweet.

I still do not eat out (the risk is too great for me; one speck of gluten and I pay for it all week). And I miss eating out- I miss the romance of it. I miss the spontaneity of exploring new restaurants. I miss travel. The social isolation, the stigma of special needs can feel heavy at times. Celiac disease does not exactly dampen one’s tendency toward introversion. The lingering health issues are discouraging. Forty-seven years eating gluten take their toll. My body continues, even after five years gluten-free, to pay a price from malabsorption.

In many ways my health has dramatically improved. I am free from the most acute symptoms I suffered. And cooking gluten-free has become second nature; it is no longer the massive challenge it felt like in the beginning. New gluten-free choices are emerging, daily, in the marketplace. All good news.

But the best part? Reading your comments and receiving your e-mails, Darlings. It nudges me out of my myopia and gives me a clearer sense of the big picture. I am not alone in this disease. And there are more of us diagnosed every single day.

So here’s to all of us.

Happy gluten-free anniversary! Whether it is one week, six months, or five years, I raise my glass to you.

Gluten-Free Bread Machine Tips

Pamela's bread mix baked in a Breadman bread machine.

I have good news. Especially for those of you living gluten-free. Help has arrived. Breadman now makes a very space-agey retro Jetsons-looking bread machine with- you guessed it- a gluten-free cycle. Fellow bloggers Kalyn and Alanna first alerted me to it, and as soon as I read about it, it went on my Amazon.com Wish List. Soon after it arrived at my door...courtesy of my mother.

First impressions? Gotta love the whole stainless and black look. Very cocina chic. But the big question is: Can this baby bake a decent loaf of bread? Long time readers know I like simplicity (well, that, and I simply have no room in my tiny kitchen for storing eighteen different bags of alternative flours) so I decided to try Pamela's new Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix for the Breadman's virgin voyage. It features sorghum and millet flour (and- best of all- it has no bean or soy flours- which I loathe).

First, I'd like to point out a minor complaint- the loaf sports an indent in the bottom from removal of the dough paddle. This gives the center three slices an uneven bottom edge. Solution? I cut these three pieces into triangles and will use them as crouton-toasts for soup- schmeared with pesto. Edit: My new solution is I reach in immediately after the mixing cycle (but before the rising cycle) and pull out the the paddle; then smooth over the top with wet fingers. Beyond the paddle issue- which is shared by many a bread machine- I have no real quibble. The machine delivered.

The attributes I like?

It's fast. The bread was baked in less than 90 minutes. I liked the crust option- you get to choose your crust preference- light, medium, or dark. I chose medium and the crust was delightfully crusty when toasted- something I've missed with gluten-free breads. I love a golden crust.

I sliced ten perfect slices (when the loaf cooled- you must wait, Babycakes, as hard as it is). It's not a huge loaf, obviously. But it is cute and chubby; and the ten square slices will make five perfect sandwiches.

The ends? We cut them up and dipped them into some fruity Napa Valley organic extra virgin olive oil. We licked our lips.

The bread mix.

I ordered a case of six from Amazon. I'm planning on making one mix into a pumpernickel by adding cocoa powder and caraway and molasses. And then, Dear Reader, I'm going to try my hand at cinnamon raisin bread. I've missed cinnamon raisin toast.

New Note: Don't need a bread mix? Want to bake your bread from scratch?

I've been experimenting with my own gluten-free bread recipes lately and have come up with my own recipes based on Pamela's mix of sorghum and millet flours.

Try my new favorite Gluten-Free Bread Recipe- works perfectly in this machine on 1.5 pound gluten-free setting.

Try my new ryeless Gluten-Free "Rye" Bread recipe.

Karina's Notes:

Some Readers have had trouble baking 2 lb. baking mixes (like Pamela's) in this Breadman bread machine (though it worked fine for me). So I experimented and found a solution, thanks to those who shared their tips below in Readers Comments. (Some readers have mentioned that the Zojirushi Bread Machine works fine with this mix.)

This machine's Gluten-Free cycle works best with a 1.5 pound loaf. If you make your own flour mix- this is perfect for you. Use recipes for a 1.5 pound loaf and choose the Gluten-Free cycle.

Some bread mixes- such as Pamela's- are a 2 pound loaf size. If you'd like to use a mix like this in this machine, here's what works:

Customize the cycle:

a.) Follow instructions for adding dry and liquid ingredients to the bread pan, assemble your dough ingredients, and snap the pan into place.

b.) Set your loaf size to 2 pounds and choose the Dough cycle.

c.) When the dough has mixed, let it rise for half an hour then choose the Bake cycle.

That's it. It worked beautifully for me.

As with all gluten-free baked goods and breads- remove the loaf from the pan as SOON AS possible. The longer a gluten-free baked good remains in a hot pan, the soggier it gets. It steams.

Please read through the bread discussion below for more tips and ideas- and don't miss the thorough commentary below posted by GF Dad- he's done his bread baking homework and was generous enough to share notes! Thank you, GF Dad!

Other notes- I've used Pamela's Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix to make pizza crusts and focaccia style round breads in cake pans, adding a little extra sea salt and Italian herbs, garlic and minced onion to the mix. Delicious!

Nava Atlas- A Cookbook Review

Nava Atlas [one of my favorite vegetarian cookbook authors] was kind enough to send me a copy of The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. Babycakes, where do I start? This hefty tome is chock full of fresh and fabulous recipes - more than 275, in fact - from breakfasts and snacks to comfort foods, main dishes and desserts.

What do I like? I like that her recipes are doable, and not based on hard-to-find ingredients. In fact, most everything she uses is already in my pantry. I like her tips in the Introduction about being a vegetarian, planning meals for a family, and cooking within a busy schedule. I like that there are vegan options throughout the book (perfect for all you non-dairy and egg-free cooks out there). Nava's style of cooking reminds me of my own, and her approach to recipes is akin to my own philosophy: use fresh, seasonal ingredients whenever possible, and go for simplicity.  

I'll be inspired for months to come.

For those on gluten-free diets there are lots of tasty sounding recipes that are naturally gluten-free and others that are easily tailored- substituting wheat pasta with brown rice pasta, for instance. Obvious ingredients to avoid on a gluten-free diet include bulgur, barley, cous cous, seitan, flour tortillas and various breads, of course, but I'm guessing any savvy celiac can spot these, and either switch out a safe substitute, or move on to another recipe [and there are plenty] focused on vegetables, fruits, cornmeal, rice and quinoa.

If you're brand spanking new to this whole gluten-free diet thing, you might want to become a little more fluent in cooking gluten-free before you tackle a non-gluten-free cookbook like this, but if you're at all like me, Darling, you prefer to experiment and educate yourself rather than looking to be spoon fed. I personally enjoy [and cook from] a wide assortment and range of cookbooks - and none of them are "gluten-free". 

In fact, Dear Reader, I don't even own a gluten-free cookbook. I haven't found any so far that capture and evoke my personal approach to cooking. I'm more inclined to peruse cookbooks like Nava's, and those by Susan Curtis, Barbara Kafka and Jamie Oliver.

Recipes I'm looking forward to trying? How about her Cabbage, Apple and Raisin Slaw, Scalloped Cauliflower, Skillet Black Beans with Potatoes and Tortillas? Sounds yummy. And I might even be brave enough to try tackling Vegetable Sushi. Stay tuned.

©2005-2010 Karina Allrich. All rights reserved.