Gluten Free Goodness

It delights me to continue “Best of the Best” with one of my very favorite bloggers–Shirley, of Gluten-free Easily (AKA GFE)  The first thing you notice about Shirley is her heart!  She radiates warmth and she’s one of the sweetest bloggers I’ve ever “met”, and that’s saying a lot.  She is such a huge support to people fortunate enough to live in King George, VA, and takes a lot of newly diagnosed Celiac/gluten intolerant people under her GFE wing.

And did you know she and Mr. GFE actually have bees?  I think that’s so neat, and absolutely fantastic.  Can you tell I grew up near the city?

So three cheers for Shirley!

Her website is a fantastic cornucopia of info and happenings around the web, and she has a bunch of great posts.  I asked her about her favorites, and she said:

“From my blog. I admit I feel a bit guilty that these are all treat recipes and they’re more mainstream ones (e.g., they use granulated sugar), but treat recipes often are the ones folks struggle with most and once “in the door” will seek out healthier treat recipes, plus entrees, side dishes, and salads.”

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (or Flourless Almond Butter Cookies if allergic to peanuts; sunbutter would probably even work although I haven’t tried it yet)—These are super easy to make, delicious cookies; nobody ever believes they are gluten free, much less grain free.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie (the gluten-free, dairy-free version … trumps the one that’s just gluten free)—This recipe teaches folks the easy method of making gluten-free pies; nobody ever misses the crust. Using coconut milk makes this pie dairy free and decadent tasting.

Flourless Pizza–Pizza is another dish that really causes folks angst when they go gluten free. This recipe has a crust made of eggs and cheese. The fact that this pizza tastes like, well, pizza, amazes everyone. It’s so easy to make, too.

(Cheryl’s note: I hadn’t seen the pizza recipe before, and wow, I’m intrigued!  And I’ve really enjoyed her roasted chickpeas and blueberry pie–not together, though!)

“From other blogs … I did (naturally) manage to find a variety here. These are my current favorites. I could have listed dozens of favorites. There’s really so much talent among the food bloggers I read.

Vanilla Bean Cake (The Spunky Coconut)—A wonderful, grain-free “yellow” cake that’s made from white beans. It’s great even without frosting. Seriously.

Winter Green Smoothie (The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen)—Actually a slight variation of this recipe, which is in The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Cookbook, is the one I use. That recipe introduced me to green smoothies and I’ve never looked back.

Mexican Pizza (Cook IT Allergy Free)—I love this quick prep, gluten free, dairy free option for pizza! It’s loaded with nutrition, too.”

And of course, I enjoy Shirley’s way of blogging as much as I enjoy her recipes, so I wasn’t surprised to hear her favorite parts of blogging:

“What I enjoy most about blogging is the emails and comments I receive from readers who tell me that gfe approach is making their gluten-free lives happy and healthy. To hear that readers just had their best holiday ever, that they are no longer sulking in the corner and making do with salads, that EVERYONE of their family and friends loves a recipe and has no clue that it’s gluten free (or doesn’t care if they do know), that folks are learning to really cook because of gfe … well, that’s just huge to me. I truly hear those types of things daily and that feedback makes me know that sharing the gfe approach is worthwhile. It’s very humbling to say the least.”

I sincerely appreciate that Shirley took the time to share some of her favorites!  And if you’re interested in seeing the other “Best of the Best” profiles, there’s one on Amy of Simply Gluten and Sugar free and Ricki of Diet Dessert and Dogs, too.

I had the inspiration to ask my favorite bloggers about their favorite recipes, and thus “Best of the Best” was born!  This edition is on one of my very favorite blogs, Simply Sugar and Gluten-free.

I’ve followed Amy’s blog since close to her start, and have particularly enjoyed Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, because it’s always such a nice roundup of the newest treats.   I can totally appreciate and share her fondness for balancing good nutrition with good taste, and also her enthusiasm for doing good for others, like her  recipe collection to benefit St. Jude’s (which you can still purchase as a donation to St. Jude’s…hint).  I can totally relate to Amy’s journey.  Even though weight wasn’t one of my motivators, I lost 40 lbs when I first started having gut issues.  Once I changed my diet, very little of the weight came back, and neither did my cravings. 

And, of course, I am delighted that Amy’s new book is out very soon, and you can pre-order it on Amazon.  I’m very much looking forward to receiving that.

So onto the questions!

Starting off with the most important, I asked what she’d recommend to someone new on her site.  She was kind enough to offer both fun food and “real” food options:

“I love to bake, so naturally, I’d offer up my favorite baked good first.  These Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting are moist, flavorful, and so simple to put together.  The batter makes a great cake, too.

(Cheryl’s note) and even the picture above, which is Amy’s, is to die for…

If you’re looking for a simple dinner, this Chicken, Brown Rice & Leek Casserole is always a hit. It’s one of my husband’s favorites and it freezes well.  I freeze half for a night when I’m too busy to cook.  All I have to do is defrost it and throw it in the oven.

Cheryl, I thought I might mention my favorite Green Smoothie, and as much as I love it I’ve been juicing lately.  This Carrot-Beet Juice is one I’ve been making often.”

Personally, I think her granola bars are the biggest hit in our house.  Unlike most, they stick together perfectly as they should, and there are just endless fruit and nut combos.

I asked about her favorite recipes from others, and of course she said:

“I could never pick just three!  There are so many talented gluten-free bloggers out who have been pushing the limits of what gluten-free ‘should be’ and are creating  food that would please even the pickiest eater.  I have a list of blogs I respect and admire on my blog roll. It’s divided into gluten-free & sugar-free blogs and then blogs that are gluten-free. I’d recommend that your start there and decide which blogger best fits with their needs and cooking style.

And of course, the most fun question!  It’s clear Amy loves blogging from the time, energy and love she puts into her posts.  When I asked about the best part, she said:

“You’d think I’d say it’s the joy I experience form creating food people love that enhances their lives.  I’ve had people e-mail me and say they hadn’t had cake on their birthday for years until they found my blog and tried my recipes.  But that’s become secondary.  It’s really the relationships I’ve developed with my readers and other bloggers which, of course, stems from our common desire to eat fabulous food.”

So many of my readers have become good friends, which is something I never expected.  Likewise, I never thought I’d have blogger friends all over the country. I’m presenting at The Gluten-Free Allergy-Free Expo in Chicago at the end of April and I’m finally going to get to meet Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily, Stephanie from A Year of Slow Cooking, Silvana from Dish Towel Diaries, and Hallie from Daily Bites – among so many others.  It’s exciting just thinking about it!!”

And I absolutely agree!  I started blogging as a way to simply put my recipes somewhere.  And yet, to my great surprise, the best part is the interactions with fellow blogging buddies.  Who knew?

Please also check out my first “Best of the Best” post on Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs.

I don’t usually have New Year’s resolutions, but one of mine this year was start a series, “The best of the best!”  There are so many great gluten-free bloggers out there, and so many delicious recipes to choose from.  I often wondered what to try first from each site, and the author’s favorites.  Although if anyone is much like me, favorites change by the week.

So I asked some of my favorite bloggers about their favorite recipes of their own, their favorites ’round the web, AND what they like most about blogging.

My first featured blogger is one of my absolute favorites, Ricki Heller of Diet, Dessert and Dogs. I’ve been a big fan of Ricki’s for a few years now, and once I saw the cute puppy eyes (Elsie and Chaser’s, not Ricki’s!) I was hooked.  And it’s hard to say my favorite part, Ricki’s recipes, her stories, pictures or her doggies.  Does that make her a four-ouple threat?

I’ve made so many of Ricki’s recipes, and love her cookbook, Sweet Freedom.  If I had to pick a favorite, I’d probably say the Carob Coconut Sweeties (pictured below) top my list and the Chocolate Mint Cookies (pictured above) from “Sweet Freedom” top DH’s list.

When I asked Ricki, she said “I’m going to (mostly) defer to the readers of my blog for this one and choose from among the most popular recipes.  First I’d say to try the Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Pudding . It’s easy, versatile and delicious, and not really like oatmeal at all. 😉  I’d also recommend Vegan Pasta Carbonara for a quick and easy dinner.  Finally, one of my personal favorite recipes is Butterscotch Blondies with Dried Cherries and Chocolate Chips (which can be made with all purpose GF flour instead of the flour in the original recipe).”

Mmmmm…now I’m craving blondies!

What about her favorites? My faves would be your fudge (of course!), Sprouted Quinoa Millet Waffles from Affairs of Living ; and Averie’s Raw Cookie Dough, which I’ve made into truffles, the topping for a brownie, and too many snacks to mention.

Raw cookie dough?  *swoon!*

And it’s clear how much Ricki enjoys blogging from how entertaining her posts are and the connections she’s had with blogging buddies for years (and I am honored to be included in that group!)

As she put it, her favorite part of blogging is: the interactions with readers and other bloggers.  I couldn’t have imagined the wide, wide world of like-minded people out there until I began a blog. I love meeting new people online, exchanging ideas and recipes and getting excited about food; and the amount of support and information that’s out there always blows me away.  Blog readers really are the best.

I appreciate Ricki’s thoughts, of course, and now I’ve got even more recipes to try!