First You Make A Roux: Gluten-Free Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Last night I decided to try my hand at gluten-free gumbo. Had I known then what I know now, I would have started MUCH earlier in the day, or maybe even the day before.

With any good gumbo, first you have to make the roux. I wasn't exactly sure how this was going to go, seeing that there would be NO flour in this recipe. My advice to anyone reading this that is interested in making this recipe -- MAKE YOUR ROUX THE DAY BEFORE. It takes FOREVER!

So I will assume, from here on out, that you will heed my advice.

To make the roux;

Add 1/2 cup of oil (I used veggie oil) and 1/2 cup Sweet Rice Flour

Cook this mixture, I'd say on Medium Heat, Stirring Often, until it is nice and nutty brown. If you have the time and patience you can cook it until it gets chocolatey, but I gave up. The upside is, your house is going to smell delicious! :)

After you have cooked your roux, let it cool, and then put it in the refrigerator. The next day, bring it back up to temperature and add;

1 1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

1 c. green bell pepper, chopped

Sweat the veggies down for a while, stirring often. When veggies are done to your likeness, add;

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (make sure they're GF)

1 10oz. package sliced okra

Stir together and add;

6 c. water

1 12oz. package Aidell's Andouille Sausage (it's GF)

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into chunks

Stir and season with;

2 t. salt (I used grey sea salt and had to use double this amount)

1/2 t. thyme

3 bay leaves

3/4 t. ground chili de arbol (I didn't have cayenne)

1 t. paprika

2 t. dried oregano

and 1 t. ground black pepper

Cook until veggies are tender and chicken has cooked through. The longer it cooks the better it is!

It turned out to be delicious! Make some rice to go with it (traditional) or just eat it plain! If you have leftovers (and you will), gumbo freezes really well. You can also add shrimp, crab or anything else you would like, just add the seafood at the end of the cooking time so it doesn't overcook and become tough.

Enjoy!

Let Them Eat Bread! A Product Review: Udi's Gluten-Free White Sandwich Bread

Last week I reviewed Udi's Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread. Like I said, it tasted more like "normal" bread than I was expecting, especially after the Bob's Red Mill debacle. So this week, I thought I'd try Udi's White Sandwich Bread. Since I am brand-spankin'-new at this whole wheat-free/gluten-free lifestyle, I don't really have any preconceived notions, I just know what I like and what I don't.

The first thing that I was concerned about when I decided to do this little comparison, wasn't taste -- it was nutrition. Of course, I don't know if this is because advertising and marketing execs across America have been shoving "whole grains" down our throats for so long.... anyway, I digress.

So being concerned about nutrition I read the labels of each. (I am getting REALLY good at label reading. Almost to the point of, "I could teach an Evelyn Wood nutritional label speed reading course", good.)

The ingredients for Udi's Whole Grain Bread is as follows;

Filtered Water, Tapioca Starch, Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Egg Whites, Evaporated Cane Juice, Tapioca, Maltodextrin, Teff Flour, Brown Rice Syrup or Tapioca Syrup, Flax Seed Meal, Yeast, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Baking Powder, Mold Inhibitor (Cultured Corn Syrup and Ascorbic Acid), Dry Molasses, Ascorbic Acid, and Enzymes.

See why I don't want to make my own??

Ok, on to the nutritional label for this bread.

Serving Size = 2 slices

Calories = 180    Calories from Fat = 40

Total Fat = 4.5g    (With NO Sat and Trans Fats)

Cholesterol = 0mg

Sodium = 300mg

Total Carbohydrates = 27g

Dietary Fiber = 1g

Sugars = 3g

Protein = 4g

(NO Vitamins A or C. Calcium 4%. Iron 2%)

I am a slight bit more than disappointed that no one can figure out how to add more fiber into these things. And it's pretty high in carbs, which I just knew, would spike my blood sugar -- but thankfully, it didn't.

Now on to Udi's White Sandwich Bread.

The ingredient list for this bread is as follows;

Filtered Water, Tapioca Starch, Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Egg Whites, Tapioca, Maltodextrin, Evaporated Cane Juice, Brown Rice Syrup or Tapioca Syrup, Yeast, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Baking Powder, Mold Inhibitor, Ascorbic Acid and Enzymes.

Sooooooo, the only thing that makes the Whole Grain different than the White Sandwich is the addition of Teff Flour? Interesting.

Ok, now for the nutritional label.

Serving Size = 2 slices

Calories = 160     Calories from Fat = 40

Total Fat = 4.5g (NO Sat or Trans Fats)

NO Cholesterol

Sodium = 310mg

Total Carbs = 25g

Dietary Fiber = 1g

Sugars = 2g

Protein = 4g

(NO Vitamin A or D. Calcium 4%. Iron 2%.)

The differences in the nutritional labels are slight at best.

Neither offer much in the way of dietary fiber (-), BUT, the white is actually lower in Total Carbs and Sugar (+). The White Sandwich is HIGHER is Sodium (-), BUT, it's lower in Total Calories (+).

Unlike most GF breads, you do NOT have to store this in the freezer. I keep it on the counter, just as I would "normal" bread. It also does NOT crumb all over the place. I don't have to toast it just to keep it from falling apart. Yes, at $4.69 for a 12 ounce loaf, it is expensive.

But, it's worth it!

From Worst to First -- Product Review: Udi's Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread

Maybe they didn't have bread 10,000 years ago. Maybe man did survive on a diet of lean meats and non-starchy vegetables. But I live in the 21st century -- and we like our bread!

For the sake of my health and sanity, I must give up wheat and gluten. This is fact. But do I really have to endure stifling a gag reflex just to have some semblance of a "normal" life? I'd like to think not.

I live in a small town in rural Alabama. I lovingly (ok, maybe not so lovingly) refer to it as BFE. So I was afraid of what going WF/GF was going to be like, since I was sure my options would be bordering on nill. I looked into making my own bread, but, most GF bread recipes call for at least 3, maybe 4, different kinds of flour, several starches and some kind of emulsifier to bind it all together. Add to that the cost of yeast, and eggs, and whatever else you have to have and it equals up to very, VERY expensive.

I had been reading reviews on GF foods and Udi's got very high marks. So, I decided to see if my local grocer carried it and if they did, I was going to give it a try. And, I am so glad I did!

Besides the crust being a little harder than "normal" bread, I am in LOVE! No longer do I feel perplexed when I need to find something "quick" to eat. I can make a sandwich and eat on the run just as I always have! YAY ME!

Udi's also makes White Sandwich Bread, Bagels, Pizza Crusts, Muffins, and Granola. I can't wait to try them all! If you are living WF/GF, RUN don't walk to the store, find this bread and buy a loaf!

You can thank me later!

Product Review: Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread

Ok, I'll be honest with you.

The day after I decided to go WF/GF, I almost had a panic attack, thinking I would never be able to eat bread again.

So I went to the grocery store to replace ALL that food I couldn't eat anymore, and I found this Bob's Red Mill bread mix. At $5.69, per bag OF MIX, I'd like to remind you, it was NOT cheap.

I came home, made the batter (which smelled weird, but I figured it was a WF/GF thing), and then baked it.

It looks good, huh? This is how it looked when it came out of the oven. Dark, full of seeds, just the way I like normal gluten-ated bread. I won't lie, it tasted okay for about 10 minutes after it came out of the oven. After that, something went wrong.

Horribly and inexplicably wrong.

The flavor and the texture are so awful, that it seriously takes all I can do to stifle my gag reflex. It sat in the fridge for days, just looking at me, because I couldn't come to terms with throwing a $5.69 loaf of bread in the garbage.

It ended up there anyway. Do yourself a favor -- don't waste your money on this one!

Breaking The Habit..

The weekend I made the discovery that I may be allergic to wheat, I decided I would do a little experiment. I would stop eating anything with wheat and/or gluten and see what would happen. So that's what I did.

For the first few days, I moved things back and forth in the cabinets and fridge to get them out of my way. Finally, I'd had enough. I went to the closet, grabbed some plastic grocery bags and started packing everything away.

I went days and everything was great. My energy level was better than it had been in months. I could breathe. Gone was the pain and stiffness in my joints. I felt really good for the first time in a year.

And then it happened.

I accidentally gluten-ated myself.

Did you know BROTH contains wheat? Yeah, neither did I. Trust me, I do now.

Instantly, I sounded as if I had caught the worst cold. This time it started with an itchy nose (it's amazing at how quickly you pick up on symptoms when you haven't had any for a few days), then my nose stuffed up, my face immediately began swelling, my chest grew increasingly tighter until I was gasping for air. This time a new symptom, one I'd never had before (or maybe did and didn't realize it was related), I got the most TERRIBLE headache.

I have gluten-ated myself more times than I care to mention. Now, weeks after starting this WF/GF lifestyle, there is no doubt what's been poisoning me for so long.

When my Aunt came to visit so I could do her hair, she left with six grocery bags and a box, full of foods not only that I cannot eat but will not eat. Everyone says, "OH! I couldn't do that! I love bread too much!". 

I promise you. If you start feeling bad enough, not only to think -- but actually start believing you are going to die soon, you'll be glad to do anything you have to. 

What Happens When Wheat Becomes Your Enemy?

I have been sick for most of the last year. What started out as what I referred to as, "my allergies acting up again", had been wreaking havoc on my body for the last .. well, as long as I could remember. (I cannot count the number of people I have implored to, "just put me in a plastic bubble".) However, in the last year, it reared its ugly head and showed me who the boss was.

It started out as a sinus infection. Two black eyes, swelling and pain in my face. One antibiotic down, I'd feel better for a few days and then as soon as I was off the medication, BAM!, it was back. I ended up taking FIVE different antibiotics this year, each stronger than the last. The final antibiotic I was given listed "ruptured tendon" as a side effect, so although it didn't get rid of my sinus infection, I DID get tendonitis in ALL my joints. Particularly, those in my right leg (which has yet to return to normal).

Fast forward a couple of months -- Yep, you guessed it, I'm still sick, and at the very end of my rope. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on about chronic sinus infections to try and educate myself. Especially, since the doctors were happy to just give me some pills and send me home to die.

It had gotten so bad that it was starting to effect every system in my body. I was sure that this incurable sinus infection was the culprit. That it had been inside me so long it had poisoned me.

And then on January 7, 2011, a miracle happened. I could breathe when I woke up! I still had the incessant swelling in my face -- BUT I COULD BREATHE! I didn't eat breakfast that morning. I was scurrying around the house like a woman on a mission. Finally, around noon I made a sandwich, and sat down to eat. Ten minutes later -- I'd have an A-HA moment that would change my life.

Ten minutes later, I was completely stuffed up, coughing, and gasping for air. I started taking inventory of what I had done or exposed myself to. I don't even know what made me think of it.. "THE BREAD!", I thought to myself. I ran to my computer, googled "wheat allergy", and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I have been sick for most of the last year. The last few months feeling so gravely ill, that I honestly have been thinking they could be my last. And all along, it has been a food allergy.

I have been poisoning myself.

Steamed Mussels My Way

Yesterday I decided I needed to get out of the house for awhile. Stretch my legs. Get some fresh air. So where did I end up? *The Grocery Store.* Yep, you heard me. The grocery store.

So while I was there, much to my surprise, they had fresh mussels! I know that doesn't sound very exciting to all of you that live in civilization -- but let me remind you, yet again, that I live in BFE. So, I knew I had to have them!

Steamed Mussels

1.5 pounds mussels

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, chopped (save some of the green top for garnish)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/3 cup tomatoes (I used canned fire roasted)

1 cup white wine

3 Tablespoons cold butter

The first thing you have to do is clean the mussels. I added about a 1/4 cup whole wheat flour to a big bowl and then filled it with approx. 8 cups of water. I then added the mussels and let them soak for at least 30 minutes, so they would release any sand they may have contained. (You can also use cornmeal, or grits. As the mussels eat this substance they "spit out" the sand.) After I let them soak, I dumped them into a collander, and examined them closely. Any mussels that are not closed or will not close when tapped, should be THROWN AWAY, as they are already dead and not to be eaten. Scrub your mussels really good at this point and remove their beards. Put them in the frig while you get everything else ready.

Add the olive oil to a skillet or pot and when heated (the oil will become shimmery) add the onions (both white and green), garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until onions become translucent (being careful not to brown). Next add your tomatoes and cook for another minute or two to marry the flavors. Add your mussels and toss. Add white wine, turn up the heat, and cover. Bring wine to a boil and cook for 3 minutes or until mussels have opened. (Any mussels that don't open should be THROWN AWAY.)

After your mussels have opened, remove them from pan, and keep warm. (I just put them in a bowl and covered them with the lid from the pan I used.) Crank up the flame to HI and reduce sauce by 2/3. When sauce is reduced, turn off heat, and add butter, 1Tablespoon at a time, until combined. (This will thicken your sauce.)

Pour sauce over mussels and garnish with reserved green onion tops (that I almost forgot!). Serve with good crusty bread and a salad if you'd like.