Gluten Free Cookbook Review: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow (and a giveaway!)

I have been slightly obsessed with my Crock Pot lately. And I have a very good reason. THIS cookbook was just published by none other than Stephanie O'Dea, author of the highly popular gluten free cooking blog, A Year of Slow Cooking. I like to pretend that Stephanie and I are really good friends and she lives next door.

What?

You don't pretend things like that when you find a gluten free cookbook author that you absolutely adore?

You will LOVE this gluten free slow cooker recipe book. Stephanie is a completely down-to-earth, un-snobby, un-foodie mom, wife, and home cook. Her writing is easy, friendly, and welcoming. Her first priority is her husband and children and slow cooking meals is simply a delicious bonus.

Stephanie took on the challenge of slow cooking a meal every day in 2008. She wanted to provide healthier meals for her family by cooking at home. She accomplished this goal by chronicling it on her very popular blog, "A Year of Slow Cooking." Stephanie's clever, honest remarks (the "Verdict") about every recipe she tried is what makes her blog and her book so compelling. There were many amazing recipes... and there were also bombs... and each one was really fun to read! Stephanie was honest about each and every recipe and also shared the reactions of her entire family: which could range from everybody LOVING the dish, to her kids not being willing to even touch a meal because of the aroma!

(But no worries, the cookbook contains absolutely NO bombs!)

Stephanie doesn't pretend to be a master chef. She admittedly says she burns anything in the oven and the slow cooker offered her a way of cooking that allowed her to prepare foods easily, cook foods without burning them, and a way to be more organized in her kitchen.

The recipes in this gluten free cookbook run the gamut of very easy to advanced. Many recipes have a short ingredient list with items that can be found in any local grocery store. Even if you are NOT gluten free, you can buy this book. Stephanie adds gluten free notes because her family eats gluten free, but this book is for any family and any cook!

I've tried 5 recipes so far from Stephanie's book:

• Butternut Squash Soup = My verdict: Amazing... a smooth creamy soup without any butter or cream and it was so easy to make overnight in my crock pot! I've had it for lunches this week!
  

• Bread Pudding = My verdict: My first attempt at "baking"something in the crock pot.. and you better believe I'll be doing it again... like maybe tonight, or tomorrow, and this weekend... but sometime soon because this stuff was GOOD!
  

• Black-Eyed Pea Soup = My Verdict: I made a vegan version of this recipe and it was really delicious! I've always loved cooking beans in the crock pot and this soup is one reason why!

• Chicken Parmesan = My Verdict: Nope, I didn't taste one bite of this since I'm still doing the vegan diet thing, but my husband and my inlaw's LOVED LOVED LOVED this dish. They said it was fantastic and there were absolutely NO leftovers. So obviously it was really good.
  

• Homemade Chicken Broth = My Verdict: I made this last night for my husband. He LOVES homemade chicken soup, and honestly I probably haven't it made it in a few years. This was a simple way to make homemade broth and it felt very domestic! I love learning how to make things myself! Michael ate two bowls for dinner last night and took another huge container for lunch today. I'm assuming that means it was pretty darn delicious. I had Amy's Black Bean soup (the whole vegan diet thing again)... and no leftovers for lunch *sigh*
  

Other recipes from Stephanie O'Dea's "Make it Fast, Cook It Slow" I plan on trying REALLY soon:

• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• White Bean and Pesto Spread
• Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
• Baked Oatmeal
• Breakfast Risotto
• Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
• Broccoli Casserole
• Green Bean Casserole
  
• Refried Beans
• Enchilada Casserole
• Tamale Pie
• Cabbage Rolls
• Lobster Bisque
• Cioppino
• Cedar Planked Salmon
• "Fried Chicken"
• Sloppy Joes
• Ratatouille
• Rice Krispies Treats
• Chex Party Mix
• Cheesecake
• Blueberry Buckle
• Apple Crisp
• And the list just goes on and on and on... seriously!

My copy of this cookbook already has so many dog-eared pages, food stains, and creases in the binding that I know it will hold a permanent place on my very limited counter space!

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this cookbook. This book is incredibly fun to read and it will encourage you want to cook more things at home!

It also just so happens that I have two copies of this book. Hyperion, the publisher, contacted me several months ago and offered to send me a copy of the book to review. That was fine, but I told them that I had already pre-ordered my copy! As soon as I heard that Stephanie was publishing a book, I pre-ordered! I knew already that I would love this book. Hyperion sent a copy anyway, so now I have this lovely extra copy of an awesome, gluten free, best-slow-cooker-recipe-book ever...

Would you like it?

I promise I won't send my food-stained, dog-eared copy!

Here's how you can enter yourself in the "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow" Giveaway:

1. If you haven't already, sign up to receive Ginger Lemon Girl by email:
   

Enter your email address:

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2. AND leave a comment below and tell me your favorite slow cooker recipe!

3. If you are already a subscriber, leave a comment below anyway and tell me why you'd love a copy of this book!

You have until October 31, Halloween 2009 to register for this giveaway!

And then it will be time to get slow-cooking!

Carrie's Disclaimer:

Honestly, I really just wanted to write:
This is seriously an awesome cookbook. It's the best gluten free cookbook ever. Hands down.

NO, I wasn't paid by Hyperion.. I didn't even want the free copy...

I WANTED to BUY a copy (which I did) because Stephanie is such a cool person and we food bloggers have to support each other...

Now go and buy a copy of this cookbook RIGHT now, because you need it and everybody in your family needs one for Christmas.

I wonder if Rivel would pay me to endorse their Crock Pots, I could use another one... that I might just be willing to do! ;-P

Gluten Free Vegan Cornbread Recipe

I really love cornbread. We usually eat cornbread in the fall because it's a perfect, lightly sweetened bread to go with homemade soups.

I wondered how easy it would be to make a "veganized" cornbread. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard at all.

(This is my original gluten free sour cream cornbread, which is one of my most popular recipes.)

To create a vegan version, I skipped the sour cream and used hemp milk mixed with lemon juice. I promise, you won't miss the sour cream. I also used coconut oil instead of butter, and Ener-G egg replacer instead of eggs. Worked like a charm!

The texture is just slightly different, and it may not rise quite as high as quick breads made with eggs, but it worked. My revised recipe created a beautiful golden crust, a delicious texture that was both light and airy and slightly dense at the same time. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it... but Michael ate 3 peices... in one setting. Which is unheard of for Michael.

So therefore I'm declaring this egg free, gluten free, vegan cornbread a huge success. And I'll be making a double batch this weekend to go with a big pot of soup that we'll share with Michael's parents.

A perfect, rustic cornbread for this chilly autumn season.

Enjoy!


Delicious Gluten Free Vegan Cornbread
(Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan)
Created by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com

3 Tbsp. coconut oil -or- vegan oil of your choice
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or 2 eggs for a non-vegan gluten free bread!)
1 cup hemp milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an oven-safe skillet or 8x8 baking pan with GF baking spray. In a medium-sized bowl mix together flours, cornmeal, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. In another medium-sized bowl, cream coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add mixed Ener-G egg replacer and hemp milk mixed with lemon juice. Mix thoroughly. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Pour into greased oven safe skillet or muffin tin (will make around 10 muffins). Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Printer-Friendly Recipe.


Carrie's Notes:

• Use any type of oil or non-dairy milk that you prefer. I use hemp milk exclusively in baking because of the quality of the product and it has a thickness that is similar to 2% milk.
  
• Feel free to experiment with the type of gluten free flours used here. Cornbread is very forgiving.
  
• If you want a more traditional cornbread, replace the brown rice flour called for with an additional 1/3 cup of cornmeal.
  

Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars (Gluten & Soy Free, Vegan)

A very tired, but happy Michael & I at our wedding dinner 5 years ago...

Just in case you are in need of a gluten free vegan recipe fix today... here are some breakfast bars I created last night.

I don't have a picture for you, so you can use your imagination or pretend that they look like this. They actually look very similar to those bars, except our chocolate chips are actually mixed into the cookie batter!

This recipe makes 12 large cookie bars and I thoroughly enjoyed them for breakfast today!


Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars
(Gluten Free, Soy Free, Low Sugar, Low Fat, Vegan)
Created by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour (or whatever whole grain, gluten free flour you prefer)
• 1/4 cup brown rice protein powder
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup applesauce
• 3/4 - 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used rice milk)
• 3 full-droppers of vanilla creme stevia -or- 1/2 cup sugar (I used stevia)
• 1/4 cup chopped dates
  

Optional Add In's:

• 1 cup allergen free chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spritz a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or grease with coconut oil. Set aside.
   
2. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl mix wet ingredients together.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together to create a wet batter. The batter should be slightly on the wet side like a stiff muffin batter. Add more liquid by the tablespoon if your batter is too dry.
5. Stir chocolate chips and/or other add in's into batter.
6. Pour batter into the greased 9x13" pan and spread with a spatula.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the bars will "bounce back" when lightly touched with your finger or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Cut into 12 large bars. Cool in pan or on a cooling rack.
9. Store leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.

Michael and I are heading to Sevierville, TN next week to celebrate our 5th anniversary!

If you know of any delicious gluten free dining establishments in the Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge area that you can share with me, I'd LOVE to hear from you!
Please let me know in the comments or send me an email @ gingerlemongirl (at) gmail (dot) com.

Potato and Spinach Enchiladas (Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy Free)

Ocracoke Lighthouse, on Ocracoke Island NC

We seem to find cats wherever we go...

Wild Ponies on Ocracoke Island, NC

A fishing boat off the coast of Ocracoke

We spent last weekend on Ocracoke Island. It's a quiet, beautiful seaside village on a small island off the coast of North Carolina. It's one of the few places that never seems to change. We visited the wild ponies, the Ocracoke Preservation Society (one year I AM going to win that quilt!), walked around Silver Lake, and even visited the Community Grocery Store which amazingly sold gluten free baking mixes, flours, and cereals! We were even able to find great dining choices for vegetarian meals.

While the weekend went by quickly it was a lovely trip.

Sunday night when we arrived home from Ocracoke I made a delicious last minute dinner using the green sofrito seasoning base we made last week. I always have corn tortillas in the house, so by making a quick filling, you can have an instant meal. Enchiladas are easy to make and create a healthy and satisfying dinner.

Use what you have on hand to make these enchiladas. Don't have pink beans? No problem... use pintos, black beans, or red beans. Don't have any fresh or frozen spinach? Use green beans, broccoli, kale, romaine lettuce, or cabbage! Don't have a baking potato? Use a sweet pototo, rice, or pasta!

Get creative and get cooking! Enjoy!



Potato and Spinach Enchiladas
(Gluten and Soy Free, Vegan)
Created by Carrie Forbes @ www.gingerlemongirl.com
Originally posted online Tuesday September 22, 2009

3 tablespoons prepared green sofrito
6 cups fresh spinach, chopped & rinsed
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
1 large baking potato, washed and diced
Half of a (15.5 oz.) can of your favorite cooked beans (I used pink beans), drained and rinsed
Freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste
10 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. On the stove, boil the diced potato in enough water to cover (or in a microwave safe bowl on high for about 5-6 minutes) until fork tender, drain and slightly mash. You want a very chunky potato mixture. Set aside.
2. In a large non-stick pan saute sofrito for 3-4 minutes on med.-high heat to release the savory oils and fragrance.Add chopped spinach and diced grape tomatoes and cook until spinach is bright green and wilted.
3. Add salsa, chunky mashed potatoes, and cooked beans. Mix thoroughly with spinach mixture and heat through.
4. Wrap corn tortillas with a damp paper towel or cloth and heat them for about 1 minute in the microwave.
5. TO serve: Add 3-4 tablespoons of potato-spinach mixture in the middle of warmed tortillas and wrap tortillas quickly around mixture. Pour a little salsa over each wrapped enchilada and serve immediately.

Makes 3-4 (2-3 enchilada) servings.

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Susan O'Brien's "No-Meat" Meatballs (Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan)

Does that look like a gluten free vegan meal to you? It's one of those fabulous recipes that I wish I could say I created!

This "meat"loaf is from Susan O'Brien's new cookbook "The Gluten Free Vegan". I bought this cookbook out of desperation a few weeks ago when I decided to follow a vegan diet to see if I could naturally lower my cholesterol. It was one of the very few books I could find with both gluten free AND vegan recipes.

This recipe absolutely did not disappoint. It is actually a recipe for "no-meat" meatballs, but I was in a hurry and decided just to make a loaf. It worked perfectly! In my three weeks of eating vegan foods, this is one of the best meals I have made. Here is a list of just a few of the great recipes in Ms. O'Brien's book:

• Mexican Quinoa Salad
• Yam Enchiladas with Pomegranate Sauce
• Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Asparagus Risotto
• No-Bake Chocolate Cookies
• Coconut Pancakes

What I like most about Ms. O'Brien's new cookbook is that is she doesn't solely rely on soy-based meat substitutes. Since I have to follow a soy free diet, it can be hard to find vegan recipes that don't include products made from soy such as tofu or tempeh or wheat gluten products like seitan. This recipe has NO soy or gluten whatsoever, and it turned out beautifully!

My only mistake in making this recipe was that my jar of crushed rosemary didn't have a "sprinkle" lid on it, and I accidentally dumped half the container into the "meatloaf." So I tried fishing out as much of the overpowering spice as I could (the recipe only calls for 1/4 teaspoon -- yet I know I poured in several tablespoons!) and I still thought the finished result was delicious, but next time I definitely won't overdo the rosemary! Look at your spice lids before you pour! lol...

I recently contacted Ms. O'Brien and asked her if I could share a few recipes from her new cookbook with you and she graciously responded, "Absolutely!"

So you can thank Susan O'Brien and her new cookbook, The Gluten Free Vegan for this delicious recipe!



Susan O'Brien's "No-Meat Meatballs"
from her cookbook:
The Gluten Free Vegan c. 2007, pg. 96
Reprinted with permission from the author


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for sauteing (Carrie's note: I just used non-stick cooking spray)
1/4 cup well-washed and chopped leeks, white part only
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups cleaned and finely diced mushrooms
1 cup cooked brown rice or rice medley (Susan's note: I cook the rice in vegetable stock to give it more flavor.)
1/2 cup cooked, mashed potatoes
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Pinch of dried thyme
1 tablespoon organic tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon course kosher salt or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper,or more to taste

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit if you wish to bake rather than saute the meatballs.
  
• In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the leek and onion over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked rice, mashed potatoes, pecans, herbs, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
  
• Press tightly into balls (press hard, so they'll stay together) and saute on all sides in a large skillet in 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the balls are browned, lower the meat to medium low and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
  
• If you prefer to bake the meatballs, place them on a large cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through, about 30 minutes.
  

(Printer-friendly version.)


Carrie's Cooking Notes:

• If you want to make a "meat"loaf out of this recipe, simply pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. We poured our favorite barbecue sauce on top. Yum!

• I decided to serve yukon gold mashed potatoes with this meal, so the first thing I did was boil the mashed potatoes so I would have 1/2 cup mashed and ready to go to make the "meat"loaf. I love the yukon gold potatoes because they *look* like they have butter in them since they are a lovely buttery yellow color. I simply added 3 cloves of mashed garlic, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and almond milk to the potatoes. Being the carb addicts we are, they were our favorite part of the meal!
  

• I just LOVED how easy and delicious this meat "loaf" turned out. I never would have imagined LIKING let alone TRULY enjoying a "meatless" meatloaf. I would serve this to my meat crazy family and I think they would really enjoy it. The combination of flavors with the mushrooms, the leeks and red onion, and pecans, and the herbs... this recipe is DEFINITELY a winner in my book! Enjoy!