The best gluten free store bought bread yet!

Isn't it nice, the products just keep getting better for the gluten intolerant and usins that have Celiac Disease?  Yes. Absolutely!  I was recently at a quilting retreat and a friend brought a loaf of gluten free bread.  We were all building sandwiches with cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes, purple onions, condiments, and what-have-you, and I thought it so thoughtful that someone brought gluten free bread.  I had never seen this kind, but it sure beat the socks off the one that was, up until now, my favorite!  It is from the Franz bakery.  I don't have to drive clear across town to purchase it. It is available at Fred Meyer and Albertson's.  Oh, I have made many a good tuna sandwich and PBJ on this very fine, moist wonderful bread, which is the usual slice of bread size instead of the mini slice of bread size that all the gf breads have been since day one of gluten free breadism.  A real size sandwich, with bread that tastes like bread should.  Praise the Franz Gluten Free bread!!  I thought it might be too soft, even after 5 days, to make decent French toast with, but it was wonderful. It was the best French toast I have had since before I could no longer consume gluten.

Rumor Heard: Winco Has GF Bread

A co-worker told me that Winco has gluten free bread.  I was rather surprised.  It is worth a look.  There are so many not good GF breads out there.  I either get fresh baked at Jake's Gluten Free Store on Fairview Avenue or I get Canyon Bakehouse brand at Whole Foods on Broadway in downtown Boise.  The truth is all the baked products and pasta are not healthy for us no matter what they are made out of.  Those starches just turn into sugar.  But it is better to have a PB&J sandwich with a glass of milk, than some big Mexican platter, if you are trying to eat healthy and watch your weight.  I enjoy quilting so much, I have been making toasted tuna sandwiches after work, so I can get right to doing what I love.  Having gone without bread for so long has made me really love toasted tuna sandwiches, too!

Easy Bread To Make At Home

One of the very first off-the-shelf gluten free bread mixes I enjoyed is Chebe Bread.  The mix used to come in a bag, which was very convenient.  I could toss a couple packages into my luggage, when I flew down to visit my daughter.  It kept me from having to seek out places to shop for GF groceries, while I was visiting.  I still enjoy Chebe Bread today.  It is quick to mix up, roll out and bake.  I like the texture and the herbs.  The photo below is of the Focaccia bread.  I bake it on my pizza stone. It is so good with soups and stews.

Tortilla Soup

If you have not tried Tortilla Soup, I highly recommend it.  I first had it at my favorite local Mexican restaurant.  I asked the waitress to let me know if it was gluten free. She checked and it was.  A bowl of their Tortilla Soup is a meal in itself.  I have since tried some recipes and developed my own. I do not see the reason for using stewed tomatoes when diced are easier. Plus, if you use diced tomatoes that have green chilies in them, you do not have to buy green chili's to put in the soup. If your favorite salsa has green chilies and cilantro, those are ingredients you do not have to buy in addition to the other ingredients.  Also, if you do not wish to burn your ears off, you can reduce the amount of chilies by using diced tomatoes without the chilies already in them or use less cumin. Cumin has some heat, so I recommend just one teaspoon for the pot.  Following is my recipe:

Happiness and Peace Come in Big Bowls

The employees of The Division of Medicaid, where I used to work over seven years ago, made a cookbook.  One of the recipes was for Monster Cookies.  It has oatmeal in it and no flour of any kind.  I knew right away this was something I could eat that was yummy!  The reason they are Monster Cookies is because it is a monster of a recipe.  I cut the recipe in half, yet it still calls for 9 cups of oatmeal. Yes. No kidding. Go to the dollar store and buy a huge plastic bowl to mix this up in.  I bought two. One I use for making Monster Cookies and the other one I keep in my bathroom to soak my feet in!  Both bowls bring me happiness.  But let us get on with Monster Cookies.  Following is the recipe:

Stuffed Stuff!

Stuffed bell peppers and zucchini are healthy, hearty, and makes my taste buds happy!  If you have a recipe or method of preparing stuffed bell peppers and/or zucchini, use it!  Just leave out the bread, breadcrumbs, crumbled crackers, or what have you. Leave it out or substitute in corn flake crumbs or crunched up wavey potato chips.  I buy Kellogg's Cornflake Crumbs. They come in a box, already made into crumbs!  Bake as you normally would.  I use browned ground beef, chopped onions, cooked basmati rice, celery salt, garlic, S&P, a little tomato sauce.  Mix it together and spoon into peppers and zucchini. Sprinkle some cornflake crumbs on top with a little butter.  Yummmm.