Tart and Tangy Cranberry Bars

These tart and tangy Cranberry Bars are one of my favorite treats.  I've been craving cranberries lately and this gluten free dessert more than hits the spot when it comes to mouth puckering goodness.

I first made these Cranberry Bars as a tart.  That was before Robyn and her children came over to have an afternoon of baking with us last week; she suggested making this as a bar, so it would more readily make an on-the-go type snack.  Robyn is an absolute genius on so many levels.

With a protein packed pecan crust and anti-oxidant rich cranberry topping this tangy treat is good for Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dessert, your child's lunch or an on the run bite.

Have fun with this versatile delicious gluten free dessert that has fall written all over it.

I was so happy to be asked by blogs.com to list 10 Gluten Free Blogs.  Of course, this was far from an easy decision.  If you are a gluten free blogger and I did not mention you, please leave a comment below with a link to your site so that we can all check out your gluten free offerings.

Coincidentally, the lovely Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen also created a list of gluten free blogs for blogher.com.  Kalyn's list is excellent and, like everything she does, it is well researched and very detailed.

We are buried in snow here today and school was canceled --it's been snowing for 20 hours straight and we have accumulated feet, not inches.  I've been cozying up with my gluten free cookbook (The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook) for a good part of the day baking cookies while the boys build snow caves and sled down our street.  Feels like Christmas is here already!

Green Soup with Ginger

When the cold weather comes I'm in the mood for soup.  This gluten free Green Soup with Ginger that I found on Heidi's website 101cookbooks.com is quite comforting on a chilly day.  And I must confess, I often eat it for breakfast to start my day out right.

I've probably mangled the work of art that Heidi had on her site, however, I was in the mood for something very soothing so I decided to puree this soup.  I also used collards (my friend Patrick had just brought some over from Rachel's farm) instead of the green chard that Heidi had used and made a few other changes as well.

All in all I was more than happy with how the soup turned out.  The combination of lemon, ginger and greens can't be beat taste or nutrition-wise.

Come on over to my facebook page and see my sister's (Dina Amsterdam) campaign for the yoga clothing company, Blue Canoe.  She is a yoga teacher in San Francisco and leads retreats all over the country and teaches internationally.  The campaign is lovely.

You may notice that I am now displaying my twitter feed on the sidebar of this website.  I'm on twitter every day, usually a couple of times a day.  For more twitter action join me over here.

And finally, at this point, more than 2 months after its release, my gluten free cookbook has received a nice amount of reviews on amazon.com, to take a look at them (they run the gamut) check out The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.

Enjoy the soup and stay warm!

Lemon Rosemary Mini-Muffins

I've been slightly obsessed with rosemary lately.  I put it in everything and just can't seem to get enough of this delicious herb.   My latest rosemary victim?  Gluten free Lemon Rosemary Mini Muffins made with coconut flour.

I find that rosemary almost has a buttery flavor.  It's also power packed with nutrients including iron and calcium.  These gluten free muffins are more of an adult treat than something for children.  I've been in the mood lately for tasty snacking and dessert items that aren't too sweet and are filled with interesting flavor.  These hit the spot!

I hope you like these Lemon Rosemary Muffins, I think they're equally good for a gluten free breakfast or dessert.  Very sophisticated, yet homey and comforting.

This week was packed with action both on the internet and in the real world as well.

I was fortunate enough to meet the lovely Linda from Kitchen Therapy at the ADA Conference earlier in the week where I appeared to do signings for my gluten free cookbook.  Linda blogged about her experience encountering all kinds of gluten free people of interest at the ADA Conference and her post is a delight to read.

In other blogging news, Erika from The Stewardship Diaries honored me with a Best Blog Award.  Thank you so much Erika, your blog is fabulous and I appreciate someone like you who is dedicated to organics and the environment taking note of my blog!  While those themes are a sub-text on my blog, to food, they are important guiding lights in my life.

Finally, the amazing Paige of The Sister Project wrote an article called Don’t Blame the Blogs regarding the dismantling of Gourmet Magazine and how food blogs are definitely not to blame.  Thanks Paige, I love your writing and perspective.

The winner of last weeks Friday Freebie is Michelle. Congratulations and enjoy your Kroeger herbs and tea!

This weeks Friday Freebie is a Magic Line loaf pan from Courtney at benefityourlife.com.  Her website also sells a very high quality almond flour, that I have tested and can highly recommend, in case you are looking for another great place to order your almond flour. So, go ahead and leave a comment for your chance to win this awesome loaf pan.

And in local almond flour news, something very exciting.  Helios Health Center at Broadway and Darley Avenue in Boulder is now selling a fabulous quality almond flour retail that I have tested.  Call them at (303) 499-9224, for more information, or stop by.  They are selling it out of their apothecary which also happens to have a great selection of herbs, vitamins and books.

Have a lovely weekend all and thanks so much for all of the wonderful responses, care, connections and advice to Nicole in this post.

Dealing with Chronic Disease…This is a Scroller

Warning! This post is a scroller. Just the other day I received this touching email from one of my readers Nicole, a young woman dealing with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I won't get started on the health insurance aspect of her words. Sometimes that issue is absolutely heart breaking.

In any event, as you will see below, Nicole has written to me for advice on what to eat. In spite of this site, I am a very boring eater.

My husband makes fun of me at dinner time when I eat an entire 2 heads of steamed broccoli (with this yummy Mustard Marmalade Dressing of course), all the while chomping away like a rabbit and teasing him that I need to get my 5-9 servings of produce every day (neurotic, I know). Of course I have a decent helping of protein with said broccoli and do so at every meal. More on that later, let's get to Nicole and her lovely epistle:

Hey Elana,

I first want to say that I absolutely love your website and recipe ideas. My name is Nicole and I am 20 years old, and I am looking for your advice.

I am currently saving up money to treat my Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am doing this because I have aged out of my parent's insurance. I recently got a job, the first one since my illness, and have been working the best that I can to save up.

I love food, and have gone grain free for the passed 3 months to help me lessen the symptoms of my illnesses while i work. Being that i am so tired all the time, and work takes the energy that i do have, i am finding myself slipping into my old eating habits because i don't have the energy to prepare my meals anymore. I am also completely boring myself with my lack of ideas. If i eat one more salad, or one more plate of grilled chicken with veggies, i think i just might lose it!

You mentioned that you were grain free. So i am curious if there are any tips you have, or any ideas, on how i can still eat grain free, VERY low sugars/fruits, and still have time to sleep,so that i don't want to eat every grainy, sugary food in my wake. I sadly, almost purchased a package of Oreo's and was going to admit defeat while watching Pride and Prejudice. I was even going to dunk them in milk, which i also have been avoiding. So you can see, I am coming VERY close to undoing all my hard work.

My main problem is also breakfast, because the standard omelet or anything egg just DOESN'T fill me at all. I have to tell you, I am a hungry hungry girl in the morning, and without grains as an option, i am losing ideas. Any advice you could give would more than help me I'm sure.

Thanks so much for your time reading this novel of a question,

Nicole

First of all, I think what Nicole is dealing with is common for so many of us. We live in a world of processed junk food and are likely addicted to foods that aren't so good for us until we break the habit. At least that's what I've found to be the case for myself. We often crave the foods we are allergic to and this is called an allergic-addiction. Quite a lot of interesting information on this can be found in the book, Dangerous Grains.

Anyway, on to some solutions (and confessions). And you might not be very impressed. At all. An ideal day for me consists of eating the same meal for dinner, then breakfast and lunch the next day. This meal repetition saves a lot of time and I also find it strangely comforting. It's not boring though because I use so many flavors in the dishes that I make. I love to snack on nuts and berries (goodness, that sounds so puritanical and annoying, I do apologize).

While I have gluten free junk food in my house for the boys, after years of going without it, I do not have cravings anymore. It takes time. And remember, patience, as so many of us are dealing with chemical cravings to sugar or other substances of choice that we might not feel so great eating. When I look at the stuff instead of thinking of a good sugar buzz, my brain somehow automatically goes to the migraine that I would get after that. My goal in dealing with both celiac disease and multiple sclerosis is to eat as clean as I can and to have as much energy as I can to keep up with my boys.

I would say that it is this passion (for them and for living) which helps to keep me focused on my goal.

When I do get cravings I find myself munching on organic fruit sweetened dried cranberries --I am obsessed with everything cranberry right now.

I have read books that claim that MS (and other disease) symptomology can be kept in check with diet. In particular, the book The Gift of Remission espouses this way of living and eating.

However, I know this way is not for everyone.

I do want to post a couple of yummy menu items that might help Nicole (and you) out. This week is so busy that I will be making a double batch of Ina's Grilled Lemon Chicken and stretching it into 2 nights of dinners, plus my breakfast and lunch. I've been making double dinners this whole week since it is a zany one and I'm out of the house so much.

You'll notice I incorporate fruit with my meals. I like to do this as I feel more satisfied after eating a meal with something sweet in it.

I hope this post is helpful to you, Nicole and others who may be dealing with similar situations. This is just the way I do things, it is what works for me and simplifies my life. It may have no baring on anyone else's. Just my humble offerings. Enjoy and laugh at it if you must :-)

Mustard Marmalade Dressing

I've been busy with my book (The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook) lately and pumping out quick dinners.  Still, I make my own salad dressings every night and this Mustard Marmalade Dressing is no exception.

I'm just back (less than an hour ago) from the ADA conference in Denver where I met many wonderful people and had a great time.  The conference was at the Denver convention center and it was massive --there were probably 5,000 people there, maybe more and thankfully, there was a lot of interest in my gluten free cookbook.

Celiac disease and the gluten free lifestyle have been garnering more attention of late, which is good for all of us gluten freers.  We don't have to feel like freaks in public anymore now that gluten free is more well known.

Still, as I enjoy some of the gluten free yahoo groups I often hear the saddest stories about people with celiac/gluten intolerance who dine out with friends and are given a hard time not only by waitstaff, but by so called friends as well.  As if eating differently wasn't enough trouble already without being harassed about it!  I'm just sayin'.

Gluten Free Mustard Marmalade Salad Dressingprint friendly recipe
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Fiori di Frutta Seville Organic Orange Fruit Spread
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon agave nectar
½ cup olive oil

1. Combine vinegar, orange fruit spread, mustard and agave in a vita-mix and blend on high for 20 seconds
2. With motor on low speed, drizzle in olive oil
3. This will (hopefully) create an emulsion, you can see in photo of dressing above that it is thick
4. Toss over salad greens
5. Serve

I hope you all enjoy this tasty gluten free salad dressing!  I'm off to spend some time with my boys who I don't want to feel neglected.  They are far more important than any book could ever be.