Gluten-Free Falafel

The gf falafel mixture before adding flour

I'm embarrassed that I don't have that beautiful, focused in the foreground-blurry in the background photo of my completed falafel. We got so caught up in the making/eating, we forgot! I promise they looked just like what you would expect; crispy brown on the outside and greenish-flecked on the inside. 

It annoys me that 99% of the falafel found in the US has gluten; falafel are traditionally made with chick pea or garbanzo bean flour. It's also traditionally vegan; no animal products, like eggs or milk, are needed. Yea! 

So here are the important tips:

-The onion and garlic add a lot of flavor. Use less garlic if you don't like it spicy. 

-The mixture should not be wet (I made this mistake). Make sure to add enough garbanzo and/or gluten free flour to bind it together. 

-I used a combo of cilantro and parsley because that's what I had (and we all love cilantro). Use what you have. 

-Although you can bake these at a high heat, frying (even if it's just pan-fried) will give the best texture. 

-If you have more time, the traditional way to make falafel is to soak about 1/2 cup of dried garbanzo beans (so that you have the right amount for this recipe; you can always soak more) in water for 12 hours. Drain and rinse. Use this in place of the can of garbanzo beans. However, this requires at least a half of a day's worth of planning which we don't always have.

-I couldn't find fresh tahini sauce so I served it with hummus. Use what you have. It will be delicious.

-If you can't find or don't want to make fresh gluten-free pita, serve in lettuce wraps or a gluten-free roll. I like the ones from Schar. My husband brought these gluten-free pita back from the UK; they are the best I have had so far (and notice they are almost all gone).

Gluten-Free Pita from Sainsbury's, a UK based grocery store

Enjoy the recipe and don't be afraid to try these. They are easy, quick and delicious. I showed my husband how to make them so I think we have a new rotation in our household!

Gluten-Free Falafel

Makes 13-14 2” patties

1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped into 4-6 pieces

1/4 onion (or 1/2 small), cut into chunks

1/4 cup fresh parsley, rinsed and dried off, big stems removed

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed and dried off, big stems removed (or use all parsley)

1/3 cup chick pea or garbanzo bean flour 

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4-1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend (without xanthan gum)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

1. Place all ingredients except flour blend and vegetable oil in a food processor. Puree until slightly chunky but almost smooth, scraping down the sides at least once. If it's too chunky, add a teaspoon of water and process again. Remove and place in a medium bowl. 

2. Add 1/4 cup flour blend and stir. You should be able to make patties that do not fall apart. If the mixture seems too dry, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time. If the mixture seems too wet, add more flour. It should be moist but able to form into a patty.

3. Form into patties and fry in large pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with tahini sauce and/or hummus.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Tuna Noodle Casserole

Gluten and Dairy Free Tuna Noodle
Casserole was a big hit in our house!

It's hard enough to be gluten-free but throw in dairy-free too and it can be hard to convert recipes or find substitutes. I've been looking for a good gluten-free noodle to use for casseroles but had not found one until I came across Mrs Glee's Crazy Noodles. The first thing I pictured was a tuna noodle casserole. By the way, they call them "crazy" because they are made with beans!

Now I wasn't brought up on tuna casserole but I did make a version with sautéed mushrooms and sherry that I always enjoyed. I knew I could recreate the sauce gluten-free but needed the right noodle. 

Thank you to Mrs Glee's for sending me samples of two of their noodles and their flour mix to use for recipe testing. 

Let's start with the sauce. In my cookbook, The Warm Kitchen, I detail how to make a delicious sautéed mushroom sauce. That's definitely a necessary element. The sauce should reduce for awhile so as to maximize flavor. If you don't have the book, use this gluten-free mushroom sauce.

Ingredients for the Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Tuna Noodle Casserole

Next, add a plain, unsweetened milk like almond or coconut (I used about 1 cup or so along with the broth in the sauce). Thicken with a slurry. The sauce should not be too thick or else the casserole will be dry. When you are done, you will have about 3-4 cups of sauce. 

Cool the sauce a bit and then get ready to assemble. I cooked 4 cups of Mrs. Glee's noodles. Meanwhile I measured a cup of frozen peas. I also drained 2 cans of tuna. I prefer tuna packed in olive oil so if there's a little oil left, that's fine. Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Once the noodles are cooked (a bit underdone is best), drained and rinsed, place everything in a bowl or even the pot in which you cooked the noodles. Mix the noodles, sauce, peas, and tuna. Give it a taste and adjust with more salt and pepper if necessary. Add more plain milk substitute if the mixture seems thick. 

Place this mixture in a greased casserole or baking dish. Top with either gluten-free breadcrumbs or almond meal, seasoned with salt and pepper. Make sure to drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, too. Cover and bake 20 minutes. Remove cover and finish baking until casserole is bubbling and top is browned. Let rest a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

By the way, here's a chicken noodle soup I made the other day. I made fresh chicken broth and added some chicken to it. I added the old-fashioned noodles according to the package and cooked them about 6 minutes. At the end, I added frozen peas and corn. Delish.

Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

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I don't know about you but I often look at things longingly in bakeries. Lately it's been pumpkin almost anything that I can't eat because it's always filled with gluten. Well I finally found a recipe that I was able to translate really well to gluten-free. I made mine dairy-free and it was just as delicious. The recipe includes the variation (it's pretty straight forward).
 
As with any recipe, make it a few times and it won't be hard. The key is to make sure the cold butter or vegetable shortening is incorporated well into the dry ingredients. You can do this either with a food processor (my favorite), a pastry blender (handheld tool) or two knives. This dish is great for breakfast or as a treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

 Adapted from http://livlifetoo.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkin-scones.html 

Makes approximately 12-14 medium sized scones
 
6 tablespoons butter or vegetable shortening, cut into chunks

Dry Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Amy’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend
½ cup almond meal (or all gluten-free flour)
Scant ½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons half and half or 2 ½ tablespoons almond or soy milk + ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or milk substitute
Coarse sugar (for example, turbinado)                                    

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:
½ cup powdered sugar
¾ to 1 tablespoon milk or milk substitute

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Place butter or shortening in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Measure the dry ingredients while it chills.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 5-10 times until dry ingredients are mixed well.
4. In a medium to large bowl, beat the eggs first, then add the milk and pumpkin. Set aside.
5. To the bowl of the food processor, add the chilled butter or shortening. Pulse 20-30 seconds or until mixture looks like grated parmesan cheese. You can also use a pastry blender to blend the butter or shortening with the dry ingredients.
6. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula. Form into a ball.
7. Place some gluten-free flour on a clean counter. Place the dough on the counter and pat into a rectangle about 1” thick.
8. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into triangles. Transfer to the baking sheet.
9. To make the egg wash, mix egg and milk or milk substitute in a small bowl. Brush each scone with the wash. Sprinkle each scone with coarse sugar.
10. Place in oven and bake about 12-15 minutes or until scones are golden brown. Scones should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
11. After about 3 minutes, transfer to a wire rack.
12. Once cool, prepare the sugar glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.  If it’s too runny, add more sugar.  If too thick, add a little more milk until reaching desired consistency.  Drizzle the glaze over the top of each cooled scone and enjoy. 

5 Tips for Enjoying a Gluten-Free Expo

If you have never been to a gluten-free expo before put on by the very talented and organized people from the Gluten-Free Allergen-Free Expo, you are in for a treat. I will be attending their Dallas expo this weekend; it will be my third with them. After looking through some photos, I thought of some things that might be helpful if this is your first time:

1. Come hungry! There will be many, many samples to try. However, the one caveat is that they tend to be starchy so have a good breakfast with some protein that day. You might even want to have some (gluten-free) protein on you in case you start to fade.

2. Drink water. All of that walking around, sampling, and talking can make you thirsty.

3. Wear comfortable shoes. Did I mention there's a lot of walking? And expect to be tired at the end.

4. Bring an extra bag or two. Vendors have lots of giveaways. You never know what you might go home with (perhaps a cookbook or two??).

5. Have fun and socialize! These expos are a great time to not only meet vendors but other people who are in the same boat as you. Talking to people who have a food intolerance or sensitivity with you or a family member can really make you feel "normal". I know that some times I feel like I'm the only one out there (especially when I travel or I'm out, watching people eat bread, pizza or cookies). It's nice to know we have a community. Make the most of it. Talk to the vendors as well. It's always interesting to find out how they got started. Who knows; maybe you will meet Gluten-Freeda or Kyra from Crave Bake Shop?!

Check out these photos of past expos.

The Warm Kitchen: A Book is Born!

The Warm Kitchen: A Book is Born!: I have the pleasure to announce the birth of...my cookbook, The Warm Kitchen ! I have two children and I remember how I felt during pre...

How to make Arepas

Arepas (ah-ray-pahs) are a corn pocket which can be found on many street corners in Venezuela. I first became familiar with them when I met Adriana Lopez Vermut from Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen at the Gluten-Free Spree in San Francisco in 2009. At the time, she only had a location in Napa's Oxbow Market. Now, there are two other locations in San Francisco (Mission and Castro areas). Click on that link and scroll down to see exact locations. I wrote an article about Pica Pica as well.

She was recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. He, like most people, was blown away by Pica Picas' arepas. The flavors of the arepa fillings are really amazing. I believe he deemed them "outrageous", possibly the highest triple D compliment one can receive.

A few years ago she invited me to come to her restaurant to make a special Family Chef recipe for the arepas. I chose a sweet potato and black bean-style chili which went very well with the crunchy on the outside-soft on the inside corn pocket. Watch the video here. I only made arepas once since then and decided recently I needed to try them again; practice makes perfect!

For the filling, I made a crock pot Latin-style chicken and served it with black beans, cilantro, avocado, red onion, and lime. My family loved it (especially the make-your-own part as we each like different fillings). They were delicious!

I'm going to try to make a pabellon style this weekend with a tomato-based skirt steak filling. Yes, I think about my meals 2 days in advance!

Well, here is my tutorial for you. I hope it helps to make you successful!

How to Make Arepas
Note: This is just an overview. For a recipe with amounts, visit Adriana's blog.

1. Make the dough.


2. Make sure it's the right texture.


3. Roll it into a ball first.


4. Shape into a flat circle or puck (watch the video to see a funny interaction with Adriana and I). Move from hand to hand and shape. If the dough is too wet, add more hair a pan. If its too dry, add a little water. It should not crack. Note: I make mine smaller than Adriana's. Base it on your preference.


5. Seal on a griddle with oil just until light brown.


6. Bake in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes. This helps to cook the inside.

7. Serve with your favorite fillings!


I made a crock pot chicken, Latin-style, by adding diced tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Watch my video here for how I make a regular one.

Gluten-Free Tour Comes to San Francisco Sep 21 and 22

The Gluten-Free Awareness Tour promotes celiac disease awareness and gluten-free food and beverage products. Each stop on the Gluten-Free Awareness Tour features presentations by celiac disease experts, chef demonstrations and dozens of gluten-free food and beverage exhibits from local and national gluten-free food and beverage manufacturers.

Besides meeting top medical experts watch live cooking demonstrations on the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Stage and enjoy gluten-free food samples from dozens of local and national companies.

In 2012 over 100 gluten-free manufacturers exhibited and thousands of shoppers attended the events in cities throughout the Midwest, including Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Louisville.

The Tour is coming to San Francisco, September 21-22 from 9am to 3pm at the Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., Bldg A in San Francisco, CA. Tickets are $15.00 and age 12 and under are free.

I will be there on Sunday, giving tips for gluten-free baking and cooking. Attendees will be able to buy my new book, The Warm Kitchen; Gluten-Free Recipes Anyone Can Make and Everyone Will Love.

Executive Chef Ravi Harryram will be giving a gluten-free cooking demonstration on September 21-22. Chef Harryram runs the kitchen at World Gardens Café in San Francisco, specializing in providing delicious and health-conscious meals which are shipped to your home.  World Gardens Cafe provides gourmet meal programs and individual meals that serve the dietary needs of clients.

Lisa Lam, a specialist in Chinese medicine and Acupuncture, will be presenting at the Gluten-Free Awareness Tour event in San Francisco on September 21-22. Lam practices Acupuncture and Chinese medicine at Blue Path Acupuncture in San Francisco.

Explaining the theory, Lisa Lam said, “Rather than chase signs and symptoms, my goal is to uncover the root cause of an ailment, employing a multi-tiered and integrative approach through means of treating the body, mind and spirit,”. Lam will be discussing the topics of demystifying Chinese medicine and celiac disease.

I hope I will see some of you there! Please pass this information along to friends.