Dad's first guest post: Gluten-free Banana Bread

When my mom came out to visit earlier this year, I subjected her to our Whole 30 eating experiment. While she survived, she (like us) didn't carry on with the gluten-free diet. However, it seems that it got my dad to ponder his eating habits and he's now trying to eliminate gluten from his diet.

My dad was always an equal contributor in the kitchen when I was growing up. Both my parents did shift work which meant that usually only one of them was home to watch us and subsequently, make us dinner. Besides excelling at meat + potato suppers, my dad's other specialty is pastry crust (a skill that I've yet to develop!). Sadly, his pastry making days might be on hold if he sticks to this gluten-free eating but in the meantime, he's working on his gluten-free baking. Here's one of the first recipe that he's successfully adapted - a recipe that he's proud of and wanted to share with others. Happy baking!

Banana Raisin Bread with Chocolate Chips (Gluten and Dairy Free)

A good first gluten-free treat (that’s also made with soy milk). This was adapted from a regular banana bread recipe so it could be made with regular ingredients. I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All purpose baking flour. I like it because it is a mixture of 5 kinds of flour which makes a loaf more like we are used to with wheat flour. It slices well and is great with tahini or peanut butter and honey. Xanthan Gum is used to help hold all the different flours together. I sprinkle it on top of the dry ingredients and mix it in well.


Dry Ingredients:
2 cups flour Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free
1½ teaspoons Xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup honey

Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 or 3 ripe bananas mashed
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons sugar for topping

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, using a whisk to combine thoroughly.
2. Using a wooden spoon, mix wet ingredients in another bowl.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gently stir together.
4. Pour into loaf pan sprayed with Pam or coated with butter or margarine.
5. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
6. Bake at 350 for about an hour and ten minutes, until golden brown.
7. Cool completely before slicing and enjoying with your choice of topping!

Tired, sore, and uninspired

It's been a month since I last posted a recipe. In that post, I talked about all the cooking that I was doing as a result of my pelvic girdle pain and my friend's new baby. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm has since faded while my pain and discomfort has increased. This has led to a lack of inspiration in the kitchen and a few lackluster supers. But, I'm making a few of my go-to, easy-breezy dinners and while they don't really involve recipes, I thought that I'd share the ideas here, just in case some of you were looking for something quick to make for dinner tonight!

1. Beef tacos - Use one pound of ground beef and a can of black beans with a store bought taco kit . Serve with tomatoes, avocado and green onions. Your choice of hard or soft shells (or try crumbling a hard taco shell into a soft burrito and melting cheese on top prior to adding your beef/beans - yum!)

2. Sloppy joes - Use one pound of ground chicken and a can of Sloppy Joe mix. Serve with squishy buns and top with cheddar cheese and fresh tomatoes. Throw a few cucumber slices on the side for a veggie hit.

3. Chicken Caesar salad - Buy a hot rotisserie chicken from the grocery store along with a package of chopped romaine lettuce (or chop your own lettuce). Mix with a caesar salad dressing of your choice and toss with cheese (whatever you have on hand). Make garlic buns (1 tsbp butter per bun plus a sprinkle of garlic powder - broil until crispy) or cook up a loaf of premade garlic bread.

4. Perogies and sausage - Buy some Italian sausages and frozen perogies from the grocery store. Fry up the sausages while you cook the perogies according to directions. If you like, saute some diced onions in your sausage grease. Top perogies with onions and shredded cheddar. Serve with sour cream.

5. Frozen pizza - stock up when they are on sale and pull them out of the freezer as you need to. Cheaper than ordering pizza but not nearly as good. Fills the void though!