Gluten-free, Corn-free, Soy-free White Lasagna

Hey everybody!

I know since it just turned September, many blogs have been featuring recipe's for pumpkin based food and different kind of pie's. I am not like those other bloggers. Here in Southern California it is still over 100 F. I can't even look at a sweater or pumpkin. Can't. Won't. I refuse.

Instead I am going to talk about Italian food. When you are allergic to tomatoes, a lot of Italian food is off limits. And this kind of sucks. You can't watch Giada De Laurentis without wanting to eat a big bowl of pasta and marinara. But every now and then you come across something that makes you forget about that red monkey on your back.

White Lasagna. That's right. WHITE lasagna. I used a delicious Elk sausage as the main protein. I know that's not to a lot of people's tastes, but when alternating meats it's important to utilize as many meats as possible. If you want you can just use an Italian Turkey sausage instead.

Gluten-free, Soy-free, Corn-free Elk Sausage White Lasagna
Makes 4 servings.

1 Box Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles
1 stick of Butter or 1/2 C. of butter
1/2 C. Sweet White Rice Flour
4 C. Low fat Milk, slightly warmed
1 lb. Elk sausage or Italian Turkey Sausage, browned
1  oz container of Skim Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 C. Pecorino Romano, grated
1 C. Mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 400F degree's.

2. Melt butter in a sauce pan big enough to hold 4 C. of milk. When the butter is melted, add the flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk to the pan, and whisk until thickened, about 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Melt a cup of the Pecorino Romano to the sauce and whisk till smooth. Set aside.

3. Mix the ricotta, 1/2 C. of the Romano cheese, and salt to taste. Set aside.

4. Begin layering the Lasagna in a square 9x9 casserole pan.

5. Start with sauce. Then layer noodles, ricotta (in little blobs in even rows), and meat. Continue until you finish the ingredients. Sprinkle the top with the Mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the noodles are soft, covering the top with foil if the cheese gets to dark.

  Elk Sausage:

Use the recipe I have here for Venison Sausage. Simply replace the ground Venison with ground Elk.

Renovations and Gluten free Lemon Meringue Pie

This week has been insane. I feel like I need to sleep for a couple years or so.
As most of you know I live with my parents and two younger sisters. This is for a variety of reasons. One of them being that i would rather live with my family who i am very close to, rather then live on my own. Another is that I would hate having no one to talk to at home! I'd end up talking to myself like a loon!

So on Friday morning we had all the carpet in the bedrooms replaced, since we were ripping up the carpet we decided to paint, and redecorate.

Little tip: Painting walls is a lot easier when you don't have to worry about dripping paint on the carpet.

It was a marathon of shopping, working, and lifting. It's amazing when your looking for large pieces of furniture, how difficult it is to find good quality, reasonably priced items. On Saturday we scoured every furniture store in a 50 mile radius. It was exhausting. It was made even more exhausting by not finding anything. On Sunday morning we found our savior.

And it's name is Craigslist. I love Craigslist!

Let me show you some of the things we found:

A gorgeous solid oak desk and hutch in perfect condition: $120

A set of Mr. and Mrs. dressers. One for me and one or my sister. Solid wood, professionally refinished, bun feet: $200 for the pair.

Metal daybed. Purchased floor model and got 15% off.

Already owned antique nightstand, refinished.

Small dresser from a yard sale, refinished.

The knowledge that the only thing I payed full price for is my bedding: Priceless.

So now I am exhausted. And covered in paint.

But don't worry, I'm not going to let you down. How about a delicious Gluten free, soy free, corn free recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie?

I thought so.

Gluten free, Soy free, Corn free Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes 1 large pie or 6 individual pies

Pie Crust:
1/2 C. Sorghum flour
1/2 C. Brown Rice flour
1/2 C. Tapioca Starch
2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 C. Spectrum Organic Shortening
1 Eggs
3 Tbs Ice Cold Water
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1. Mix all flours in your food processor. Add the shortening in large chunks to the processor. Pulse till thoroughly incorporated. The dough should look pretty craggy.

2. In a measuring cup combine the eggs, water, and vinegar. Pour over the dough. Pulse till the dough mostly comes together, and starts to partially cleans the bowl.

3. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

4. After refrigerating, divide into 6 pieces, roll out till about 1/4 inch thick, and place in a mini tart pan or roll out all the dough and place in a pie pan. Crimp the edges.

5. Poke the crusts with a fork, and par bake for about 10 minutes at 400 F.

6. Set aside.

Pie Filling:

1/2 C. Lemon Juice
2 tsp Lemon Zest
1 can Sweetened Condensed milk

1. Combine the juice, milk, and zest.

2. Fill the tarts evenly, and set aside.

Meringue:
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/2 C. Sugar

1. Whip the egg whites, and tartar till soft peaks form.

2. Add the sugar slowly, about a tablespoon at a time. Continue whipping till thoroughly blended.

3. Fill the tarts, making sure to seal the meringue to the edge of the crusts.

4. Take a spatula and make spikes in the meringue.

5. Bake at 325 F for 15- 25 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown.

Gluten-free, Corn-free, Soy-free Pot Pie

Okay, I know I am a little late to the party. I know. I feel bad, I do. But better late than never.

Yesterday, Shauna over at Gluten-free Girl hosted a Pie Party. Something like a thousand people all made pies before July 5th. I meant to make a pie, but it just got to blasting hot to run the oven. So I made one today.

A savory pie.

A pot pie.

A homemade venison sausage, Lima bean, and Parmesan bechemel pot pie.

Gluten-free, Soy-free, Corn-free Pot Pie
Makes 6 pot pies

1 lb Sausage of your choosing
1 lb baby Lima beans, cooked

Bechemel Sauce:
4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs Sweet White Rice Flour
2 C. Low fat Milk, warmed
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated

Crust:
1 C. Brown Rice Flour
1/2 C. Tapioca Flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 C. Spectrum Organic Shortening
1 egg
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbs Ice Water

1. In a food processor, combine the flours, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the shortening and pulse until baked bean sized crumbles form.

2. In a bowl whisk to combine the egg, vinegar and water.

3. Add to the food processor and pulse until a dough forms.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

5. Cook sausage and Lima beans. Divide evenly between 6 ramekins or crocs whatever your using for your pot pies.

6. Melt butter in a pan. Add the flour, and cook until the roux starts to yellow. Add the milk, and whisk until thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Melt the Parmesan into the bechemel. Divide the bechemel between the pot pies.

8. Roll the pie dough out and cover and crimp each pot pie.

9. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 25 minutes.

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Animal Cookies

Summer picnics.
Summer trips.
Summer Vacations.
Summer destinations.

Whats the common thread? Summer!

Now for those of us who have multiple food allergies, packing food for trips and vacations can be difficult. It doesn't have to be. Here are a few tips for packing lunches this summer!

1. Don't forget the classic sandwich! Sandwiches are easily made and transportable. The biggest thing for allergy sufferers is the bread. My favorite recipe is this one over The Whole Life Nutrition. I love this bread!!! I eat it basically everyday, and it is the only bread in my families house. It is soft and holds together great. Here are some sandwich option to think about:

• Chicken Salad.

With the mayo or Greek yogurt of your choosing this is a delicious, filling sandwich. You can add grapes, apples, celery, or curry powder to make it different or fresh.

• Deli sandwich with your favorite AF deli meats.

I'm a sucker for ham and turkey with Swiss cheese, but different strokes for different folks.

• Hummus.

Hummus makes a great sandwich spread. Plus it's packed with protein.

• Nut Butters

Almond, Sunflower, Cashew, Pumpkin Seed, Peanut, Walnut, Macadamia. Whatever floats your boat!

• Cheese

Not one of those cheese sandwiches served on planes either. Think bigger than that. Jack or fresh mozzarella. Brie or Gouda. Swiss or a nice aged sharp cheddar. Think outside the box people.

• Don't forget the veggies!

That sandwich will be twice as filling, and nutritious if you laden that thing down with fresh spinach, cucumber slices, avocado, bell pepper slices, romaine, watercress, tomatoes. Anything you want.

I think I am going to spread these packed lunch ideas out over a couple of posts. I will however throw you all a bone!

Dessert.

How about some cookies? Tiny, animal shaped cookies, with chocolate chips. That's what I thought.

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Animal Cookies

3/4 C. or 3.5 oz or 100g Quinoa Flour
1 C. or 5 oz or 145g Brown Rice Flour
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 C. or 225 Spectrum Shortening
1 Egg
1 C. or 140g Light Brown Sugar
1/2 C. or 70g Chocolate Chips

1. Combine the flours, xanthan, and salt. I whisk these together.

2. Whip till creamy and light the shortening and sugar.

3. Add the egg to the shortening mixture.

4. Combine the flour mix to the shortening mix. Mix in the chocolate chips.

5. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.

6. Preheat oven to 350 F.

7. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.

8. Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Cut cookies into shapes. I chose little animal shapes.

9. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on size, until golden brown.

Sweet Berry Smoothie, Gluten free, soy free, corn free

I am exhausted.

Seriously, butt kicking, sleep on the couch, black circle under your eyes tired.

Why am I so tired you might ask? Well I will tell you.

Last Friday we decided to go clothes shopping. All of the summer sales where going on, so we couldn't resist. Many people underestimate the work that goes into shopping. The walking, searching, standing, sifting, sorting, trying on, climbing stairs, driving here, driving there. 8 hours and two shopping malls later, it's 11 o'clock and I am exhausted! On the upside, I did get a pair of shoes, a skirt, and some workout and regular shorts.

Saturday, I needed to go regular shopping. You know, toilet paper, shampoo, lunch meat, the basics. Then I hit the yarn store, the beauty store, and Trader Joe's. Late, tired, looking forward to the next day.

Sunday, I had a bit of a rest. Just stuff around the house. BBQ'd some steaks.

Monday. I spent half the day cooking while my family worked in the yard. They had to dig up a planter that had been taken over by some sort of ground cover. Things however took a turn for the worst in the afternoon. My dad had sprained his sciatica the day before, so it was up to my sister to dig up the plant alone. After having lunch and seeing her progress, I decided to go out and help her. This plant was like a mutant plant from the past! The root system had grown and piled on top of each other until it was a foot thick! We both could stand on it and not even budge it. We didn't finish digging it out until 9 o'clock.

Tuesday. We went to Disneyland! It was sooo much fun, but we didn't get home until 11:30 pm.

Know you see why I was so tired. Thankfully I think I know something that might help.

Chock full of protein, calcium, vitamins, and phyto nutrients. Strawberries help prevent your body from storing cholesterol and blueberries are full of antioxidants.

Sweet Berry Smoothie

Serves 3

1 C. Blueberries
1 C. Strawberries, cut into 1/4's
1 C. Nonfat Greek Yogurt, I use Fage
2 C. Ice
1 scoop Sun Warrior Protein powder
1/2 C. Rice milk or Coconut milk
Splenda or Stevia to taste

Add everything except ice to a blender. Blend till smooth.
Add ice. Blend again. Enjoy!

Gluten-free, Soy-free, Corn-free Pork Luganega Sausage

I am not a big griller. Usually my dad does the grilling, and my mom and I make the fixings. Normally, we stick with chicken, steak, or burgers. However, every now and then we like bbq'n hot dogs or sausage. Unfortunately when you have multiple allergies, most sausages are a no-no to you. If you find one that is free of gluten, corn, or soy, then you know it has pepper, tomatoes, or garlic. So instead of forgoing the weenie roast this year, I decided to try my hand at making my own.

I already had the grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid stand mixer so all i needed was the sausage stuffer attachment. It looks like this:

It took me about an hour to make 3 lbs of pork sausage. Pretty reasonable in my opinion.

Normally people use natural casing, which is essentially pig intestine. Yeah.
I'm not gutsy enough to dive into the deep end of the pool on my first try. So I started with a cellulose casing. It isn't edible, but it also doesn't smell like . . . never mind.
Moving on.

Making sausage is much easier then you think.
Prepare your ingredients.
Freeze your meat.
Grind your meat.
Stuff your sausage.
Cook.
Enjoy.

Simple as that. Okay, I know it doesn't look simple, but it is. Trust me.

This sausage is the perfect pairing for use in risottos. It also tastes great in tomato sauce.

Pork Luganega (Italian Spring Sausage)

4 feet Casing (your choice)
1 3/4 lbs Lean Pork Butt, stripped from the bone
1/2 lb Pork Fat
1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp grated Lemon Zest
1 tsp grated Orange Zest
1/4 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg
1/4 C. White wine

1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Optional, if not allergic:

1 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper

1 clove Garlic

1. Cube the meat and fat into 1-inch cubes. Put them in the freezer for about half and hour.
2. Grind the meat and fat with the fine disk of whatever grinder your using.
3. While the meat is freezing combine in a large bowl the salt, lemon zest, orange zest, nutmeg, wine, and if adding the pepper and garlic.
4. Add the ground meat and Parmesan, mix well.
5. Stuff the casing, twist off into 8 inch links. Separate the links with scissors.
6. Put the links on a platter in the fridge, and let them dry uncovered for 2 to 3 hours.
7. Use within 3 days, or freeze.

I usually freeze them after the drying phase, and then defrost them as I need them. Make sure to cook your meat  until it reaches and internal temperature of 160 F.

"Cheezy" Banana Squash Fries



The Tell-tale heart. JK.



Good morning cyber-land!

I know it has been forever since I've given you all a recipe, but don't worry I'll make up for it in the next coming weeks. I have been cooking up a storm. Just not posting up a storm.

I don't know about you, but I am always trying to put more vegetables in my diet. Especially bright, colorful super food vegetables.

Banana Squash

Have you ever eaten a banana squash? Yeah, neither had I till a couple of weeks ago. My local produce vendor was offering french fry cut banana squash. Instead of frying, I wanted to bake it to crispiness. I also wanted it to taste slightly cheesy without the added calories of cheese. Nutritional yeast worked perfectly!
This dish is a great source of vitamins and minerals. Banana squash is high in beta-carotene, Vitamin C, manganese, and potassium. The nutritional yeast is chockful of the B vitamins. Grape seed oil is a natural anti-inflammatory, is high in essential fatty acids, low in saturated fat, cholesterol free, and is high in phenols which protect our cells against free radicals. Muy Buono if you ask me!




Prep.



"Cheezy" Banana Squash Fries

1 lb French Fry cut Banana Squash
2 Tbs Grape seed Oil
3 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Toss the fries with the oil, salt, and yeast. Spread out in an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Flip, bake for 15 more minutes.
5. Flip again, bake for 10 more minutes.
6. Remove from oven when golden brown and partially dried out.


Soooo good.  And good for you!



3 Favorite Foods

Hey everyone!

Instead of sharing a recipe with you all, I thought I would share a few of my favorite products with everyone.

How does that sound? Good.

1. I love Tropical Gourmet Cassava Chips!!!!

These chips are crunchy and slightly salty. The ingredients are Cassava (which is a fancy word for tapioca), Canola and/or Palm Kernel Oil, and salt. They are also a great alternative to potato or tortilla chips.

2. Sensible Foods Organic Crunch Dried Snacks

These things taste like fruit chips!!!! They are bleeping awesome. My favorite is the 100% Organic Cherry Berry. It is gluten free, vegan, GMO free, and sugar free. I have tried other freeze dried fruits and these were by far the crunchiest I have ever had.


3. Trader Joe's Sunflower Seed Butter

This stuff is sooooo sweet it doesn't even need any honey or jam. Now I am not one of those people who makes there own nut butters. Some do. I don't. I have never found it as smooth. But if you can, then more power to ya!

Gluten-free, Corn-free, Soy-free baked Chocolate Donuts

The view from my kitchen sink. Gorgeous.

Busy. Busy. Busy.

Those three words explain my last couple weeks. I've had a few knitting orders to get out, but I thought I'd share a delicious recipe with you all.

I love donuts, but haven't really had one since going gluten free two years ago. Now I know I could fry up a batch, but I really didn't want to add all that fat and those calories into my system. So I decided to create a baked chocolate donut recipe. This donut tastes just like and old fashioned glazed donut. Delicious!

Gluten-free, Corn-free, Soy-free Baked Chocolate Glazed Donut

1/2 C. Millet Flour
1/2 C. Tapioca Starch
1/2 C. Brown Rice Flour
1 C. + 3 Tbs Organic Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 1/2 tsp Corn-free Baking Powder (I use Hain's)
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
3/4 C. Spectrum Organic Shortening
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Sugar
3 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
2 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 C. Buttermilk

Glaze:
1/4 C. Cocoa Powder
1 C. Corn-free Powdered Sugar
5 Tbs Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray a Donut Baking Pan with a soy-free non-stick spray.

3. Whisk together the flours, cocoa, soda, baking powder, xanthan, and salt.

4. Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time.

5. Add vanilla. Mixing on low, alternately add the flours and buttermilk.

6. Using a teaspoon ( the kind that comes in a set, not the exact measurement kind) scoop batter into the donut pan. Smooth out with the back of a spoon. This doesn't have to be exact, it will puff and smooth out when it bakes.

7. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and is springy to the touch.

8. When you pull them out of the oven allow to cool two minutes, then immediately use a butter knife to remove from the pan. Do not allow to cool. This will make removal nearly impossible. Place on a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

9. Make glaze by whisking all the ingredients together. Dip each donut in glaze and place back on rack, let glaze set for about 10 minutes. Enjoy.





Blogger Confessions I

You have to LOVE California Orange season!! Fresh and Delicious!

I've seen a lot of blogs lately featuring Blogger Confessions. Love that. So I am going to do that here.

Confessions of a Blogger I

1. I don't eat most of the things I bake. Do you think I can keep losing weight if I ate all this all the time?

2.  I am a competitive Jeopardy watcher. My family DVR's it and watches it in the evening, shouting out the answer (always in the form of a question!), and fast forwarding the commercials.

3.  I am a Flexitarian. This is recent, but has been coming for awhile. It's not so much an animal issue, more that I want to shrink my carbon foot print and only eat clean, humanely raised animals.

4. I am not a big chocolate girl. I know, I know. Blasphemy, heresy, burn me at the stake, but it's true.

5. I love Discovery channel shows, National Geographic shows, and Animal Planet shows. I partially have the TV show tastes of an old man. Or at least that's what my sister tells me.

Okay, that's it. Those are all the secrets your getting from me. For now. :)

Gluten, soy, corn, nut free Blue Potato Gnocchi

As some of you may know, when you have multiple food allergies they are not sequestered to grains. Many people become allergic to vegetables, fruits, proteins, and seeds. The are many reasons for this, including Leaky Gut Syndrome and more, but either way this is very difficult on those who suffer because they feel even more excluded then those suffering from one or two allergies.

Several weeks ago on Top Chef (looooove that show!), Fabio Viviani (looooooove him!) made Gnocchi. He kept calling them "Pillows of Potatoes". My mouth was watering. I love potatoes. This is something my mom and me share. Unfortunately, she has now "lost" russet potatoes. We have began replacing them with local blue potatoes we found through a produce supplier. They are delicious, but are slightly waxier then russet potatoes. Slightly like red potatoes.
 Plus they carry more antioxidants and poly phenols then regular white potatoes.

So I decided to make Blue Potato Gnocchi. I sauteed them with a couple slices of bacon (cut up), added steamed broccoli, and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Blue Potato Gnocchi

1 lb Blue Potato
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 Tbs Chickpea Flour
2Tbs Potato Starch
Salt to taste

1. Boil the potatoes, until tender.

2. Peel potatoes, then smash with a fork until smooth.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix until you get a stiff dough.

4. Separate into four parts.

5. Flour a piece of parchment paper with gluten-free flour.

6. Take one piece of the dough, and roll it into a long rope. Cut it into 1 inch pieces

7. Use a fork. Press down gently on one side of each Gnocchi. Making indentations on one side, and flattening the other side slightly.

8. Lay  out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and freeze.

When your ready to cook:

1. Cut three pieces of bacon into small pieces, and saute in a pan until the fat is rendered out.

2. Add the frozen Gnocchi, brown on both sides in the bacon fat.

3. Add 1/2 a cup of steamed broccoli florets, saute for a minute. Or at least until heated through.

4. Dish, and grate Parmesan cheese over it. Ah-mazing.

Allergy Principles

Hey everyone!

The other day I realized that I have been baking gluten, soy, and corn free now for about 2 1/2 years. Wow. It feels like I just started thins yesterday, but then I started thinking about how much I have learned since the beginning. Then I thought I would share some of this knowledge with you all. I have spoken to several people over the last couple of months who just want to know where to start. Baking this way is so foreign to everyone. We all felt lost, scared, and nervous at the beginning. So here is some information that I wish I had known at the beginning. Hopefully it will act like a guide book through the murky world of gluten, soy, nut, and corn free baking!

1. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it smells weird. But, yes, you must buy and learn how to use Xanthan and or guar gum. Especially when starting out. Once you get your feet under you, you can begin experimenting with recipes that do not use it, but for now . . . It is a wise investment.

2. Buy a bread maker. If you work, have kids, or are very busy, it can be a life saver. Find one that is new, a quality brand ( like Breadman, Cuisinart, or Kitchenaid) and has a gluten free setting. Also if it has an alarm that dings to tell you when you can take out the paddle, then you will skip having that weird whole in the middle three slices.

3. Good gluten free bread does not take a whole day to make, nor does it take a bread maker. I know, I know. This totally contradicts what I wrote above, but listen. Some people don't have the dough ( no pun intended. Okay maybe a little.) to go out and buy a bread maker right now. Or maybe you are sticken it to the man, and refuse to grovel to the totalitarian kitchen appliance companies. Or maybe you just want bread that you can eat RIGHT NOW! You can do this, I promise. I have tried many recipes for oven baked bread, but my most favorite is The Whole Nutriton Group's Everyday Sandwhich Bread. It takes about 15 minutes to mix up, no stand mixer necessary, rise for 40-60 minutes, and bakes for about 50. The best part? It lasts for day's, and tastes delicious! Especially toasted. When you put it in the toaster it tastes like delicious artisan glutenful bread. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

4. The packaged Ener-G brand baked goods taste disgusting! And are hard enough to crack your teeth.

5. Buy and become familiar with all the flours available to you.

White rice flour
Brown Rice Flour
Sorghum Flour
Buckwheat Flour
Amaranth Flour
Millet flour
Tapioca starch
Potato Starch
Teff Flour
Garbanzo Bean Flour
Quinoa Flour

6. DO NOT just replace your wheat flour with ONE of the flours above. Wheat flour has an elasticity (gluten) and flavor that gluten free flours just don't have on their own. You have to mix and match the combinations to get it right. Don't worry. I know this seems so daunting right now, but you WILL get the hang of it. Promise.

7. Try some other grains. Rice will get boring real fast. Instead try Quinoa, or Millet as a side dish. My favorite breakfast? 2 fried eggs and a half cup of cooked quinoa. Soooooo good. Trust me. Don't want to cook quinoa everyday? Cook up a bunch then package in individual baggies and freeze. Then just defrost want you want for the day. Check out here for more directions.

8. Think of this as your opportunity to be that whole food eating, healthy person you have always wanted to be. You have this grand chance to drastically change your eating habits in one fell swoop. Think whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, cheese, eggs, and dairy. Don't just replace your junk food with gluten free options.

9. Blogs are your friend. You can pretty much find all you can want to know, with just a click of your mouse. Plus they are constantly adding new recipes and reviews. One warning though. They do not have your allergies. Always check the ingredients. Many blogs use corn and nuts. So be careful!

10. Find a store. I don't know where you live, so I can't really help, but I do have a few suggestions.

Whole Foods: They have everything. They take everything. Aka they are wicked expensive! Flours are three or four times the price then other places.

A local co-op: A lot of times these stores are so much more economical because they buy in bulk. Also, they don't want to charge you an arm and leg.

Online: many companies offer online stores Arrowhead Mills and Bobs Red Mill are a couple of really good ones.

For those in the Inland Empire Area of Southern California:

Loma Linda Market: a university store that offers GREAT prices on bulk gluten free flours. Not to mention a great selection of gluten free products. I shop here basically every week.

Clark's Nutrition and Natural Foods Market: They have locations in Loma Linda, Ranch Mirage, and Riverside. They have a huge selection of pretty much everything! The prices are a little more then Loma linda market, but still very good. Plus, totally side note, but if you go to the Loma Linda store, look out. The guys that work there are very cute! Did I just say that? Moving on . . . .

So there you go. My top 10. Hopefully this helps you gluten, corn, soy, nut free bakings newbies out there!