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GREAT GLUTEN FREE PANCAKES

I am the only gluten free person in our house (intolerance not allergy), so it can get complicated sometimes. On the rare occasion that something is so good my family likes to eat it even though it is gluten free is a true miracle. This recipe is one of those rare instances. I have tweaked this recipe a few times over the years, but I think I have found the sweet spot. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour is a game changer and I recommend everyone give it a try. This is an unsolicited recommendation. I made Irish Bread the other day (another recipe to come) and it was fantastic. Now I am going to get fat eating all this stuff I had to avoid before!

We are a big breakfast family and we are always making pancakes. Undoubtedly, I will try them and end up feeling horrible for a few days, so I am always on the lookout for a good gluten free pancake. There are multiple food allergies in our family and this one helps with a lot of them. It is peanut free, tree nut free, gluten free and can be dairy free if you substitute the dairy milk for almond or oat milk. I am always on the lookout for recipes that are family friendly and easily adaptable to be allergy friendly.

I have also used this in a waffle maker to make gluten free waffles and it came out wonderful also. I do recommend making these on the smaller side. I have found that when making gluten free pancakes they can be a bit grainy and mushy in the middle. Cooking them slowly and on the smaller side helps with this a lot. Also, for leftovers, I find they work best when toasted.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you have tips on how to make them even better, I would love to hear them.

What nicer thing can you do for somebody than make them breakfast?
Anthony Bourdain

Great Gluten Free Pancakes

With the invention of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, making pancakes is now a regular occurrence in our house. So good even my non-gluten free family will eat them for breakfast. These gluten free pancakes are easy to make and very easily adaptable. A very kid friendly recipe your whole family will love.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 Cup Gluten Free Flour I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1-to1 Baking Flour
1 tbsp. Sugar
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
2 tbsp. Melted Butter
1/2 cup Buttermilk I only had the light buttermilk on hand and it worked fine. I bet you could substitute Almond or Oat Milk in this for those with Dairy Allergies.
1/4 cup Fat Free Milk This is all I had but I think any would be fine.
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. Vanilla (Optional) I have left this out and might almost like it better without.
Chocolate Chips, blueberries, bananas Optional ideas

Equipment

2 Mixing Bowls
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Griddle or skillet Waffle Iron if you decide to make waffles instead

Method

In a large mixing bowl mix all your dry ingredients. (Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Put the butter into a microwave dish and cover with a paper towel to avoid messing up your microwave. Melt the butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Combine the milks with the vanilla and the butter.
Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk together.
Add the liquid ingredients to the flour ingredients and mix until just combined. Will be a little lumpy. Feel free to add a little more milk here if needed.
Warm up your griddle to medium heat. When a splash of water bounces on the griddle it is ready. After the grill is warm enough grease with a bit of butter or cooking spray. You should not have to do this between every pancake. Usually only once but if you are making a lot you may need to add more down the line.
I like to make these on the smaller side because they can be a bit mushy if large and cooked to quickly. So I stick with the 1/4 cup size.
This is where I add some additions, like chocolate chips or bananas. (You can add to the mixture if you want also. When the edges start getting bubbly check to see if they are browning. If they are, give them a flip.
These are best if eaten right away.
Leftovers: I freeze them if I will be eating a lot later or a Ziploc bag in the fridge.
Because Gluten Free pancakes can get a bit mushy inside, I find that toasting them to reheat works best.

Notes

These are the best Gluten Free Pancakes I have ever had. Give them a try and let me know how you like them. Also, this recipe could easily be used in a waffle maker too!

Allergens: Dairy, Egg

Gluten Free Indian Flat Bread

I always love to share great new Gluten Free products when I find them. Recently, I decided to explore this local Indian Marketplace that I have heard great things about. Patel Brothers in North Attleboro Massachusetts. We love Indian food in our house so this was going to be fun.

My family is a big fan of butter chicken and Tikka Masala, but after seeing this place, I need to get more adventurous. Maybe they offer cooking classes.

When I hit the frozen food section, I came across this interesting item. Haldiram’s Gluten Free Chapati (Indian flatbread). I just had to buy it. My family always eats flatbread when I attempt Indian cuisine, but due to my gluten intolerance, I am always left out. Brought it home and made it straight away. I heated the Chapati up in a cast iron skillet and it only took a few minutes.

They are fantastic. I have been eating them with eggs in the morning, as a sandwich wrap and my daughter stole one and made a quesadilla with it. I think I need to buy a case.

Food is our common ground, a universal experience
-James Beard

Stuffed peppers

This recipe is one that I tried to re-create from a wonderful meal we had dining al fresco at Gillette Stadium, where they have a wonderful plaza of restaurants and shops. We decided to try Tavolino’s Pizzeria and it was great. I had the Chicken Caesar Salad Gluten Free Pizza and I would highly recommend it. My husband ordered the stuffed pepper appetizer and they were amazing. I just had to figure out how to cook them. To be clear, I currently have a stuffed pepper recipe that I love, but since I went gluten free it is on the “NO” list. But these stuffed peppers are gluten free and amazing. They are an updated version of the stuffed peppers that mom would make when I was a kid. You remember those….minute rice and tomato soup! These are much better and pretty easy to make.

“A home cooked meal is a labor of love”
Unknown

Stuffed Peppers

An updated version of this classic comfort food meal.

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Appetizer, dinner, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2-3 cups Cooked white or brown rice
7 Bell Peppers Any color you like
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb Ground Beef 80/20 (You could use ground turkey or chicken also)
1 lb. Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage I used sweet and then spiced up the sauce
1 Small, white onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 28 oz. cans Ground Peeled Tomatoes I used Pastene No Salt Version (unsolicited)
1 15 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
3 tsp Dried Basil I tend to use more
2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes Can use less if you not into spicy
1/2 tbsp sugar
Salt & Pepper To taste
2 tbsp. Fresh Basil chopped
2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley chopped
2 cups Cooked white rice
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella

Method

Cook the rice in advance and set it aside.
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Add Olive oil to a hot frying pan. Brown the sausage and ground beef. Drain off liquid. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Add the wine and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook down a bit and then add the tomatoes, dried spices, and sugar. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add the fresh basil and parsley and now it is ready.,
While the sauce is cooking, cut the tops off the peppers and clean them out. Put the cooked rice into a mixing bowl and add a few cups of the sauce as well as the ground beef mixture. Don’t make it too wet, or you will have “soupy” peppers.
Stuff the peppers with the rice/meat mixture and add them to a baking pan. Try to have them fit snuggly into the pan, so they do not tip over.
These take longer to cook than you might think. I would cook them for at least 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, take them out, add a generous amount of mozzarella to the top of each pepper, and put them back into the oven for at least another 20 minutes.
Everything inside has been cooked, but you want the peppers to soften, and this takes a while.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with the extra sauce and a glass of wine! Be prepared one of these is a hearty meal. Enjoy!

Allergens: Dairy

Spice and Wine Bistro – Trastevere, Rome Restaurant and Food Allergy Review

Spice & Wine Bistro located in the heart of Trastevere, Rome was a place we just wandered into one night when we were caught in the rain. I was a bit apprehensive as we had not done any research beforehand regarding the food allergies. I like to do research on the restaurants that we go to in advance about how they handle food allergies, so this was a gamble, but they took it all very seriously and were very helpful. (We have allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, carrots, cucumbers, legumes, soy, eggplant, zucchini and gluten) We were seated at a lovely table in the back corner and I felt the place was warm and inviting.

Every meal should be a small celebration – Fannie Farmer

The staff was lovely and attentive. We had a great time with them. If you head in the back they have this cabinet thing where they collect all the corks from the wine bottles and I just had to get a picture of it. The waiters jumped in and made the pictures great. We had the caprese salad, bruschetta, meatballs, spicy penne, cacio e pepe and carbonara. There were no complaints. In fact, my two older daughters dream about the spicy penne, they loved it so much.

I saw that there were bad reviews on TripAdvisor for this restaurant about the staff. My experience was the exact opposite. I gave them a good review on TripAdvisor. They were wonderful and fun. If I ever have the privilege of visiting Rome another time, I would go back there again, it was very good.

I think people should give them another chance, we had a great evening.

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Trattoria Il Lucano – Rome Restaurant and Food Allergy Review

As we were walking back from the Pantheon one night on our recent life-changing trip to Rome, the kids were starving and I didn’t have any idea where we could eat. Before our trip I studied and searched for restaurants that would accommodate our family and their food allergies (Peanuts, tree nuts, carrots, cucumbers, soy, gluten, legumes, eggplant and zucchini). Italy is known for being very food allergy friendly but information on specific restaurants is hard to find, so I tried to find blog information and there was a few, but it was outdated and limited. So I looked for restaurants that were recommended by friends or had good reviews and reached out to them. Then I made a master list of the places that I wanted to visit and nearby restaurants that were food allergy friendly. (We made the food allergy cards and they were great but only used them once). It was good old fashioned leg work that got the job done. I will share my hard work with you all to save you some time.

I did a lot of prep work, but on this day I had run out of ideas. It was raining and we took a risk and stopped in at Trattoria Il Lucano and asked if they could accommodate us. We lucked out and it was a fabulous meal.

Our waiter was named Mimo and he was so much fun. He suggested that my husband try the steak which they cook at the table. We got the caprese salad, cacio e pepe, pizza and lots of house wine! Always get the house wine. We sat outside under the awning and had a fabulous meal despite the uncertainty at the beginning. My husband is still dreaming of the steak!

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook. – Julia Child

Miscellanea Pub – Food Allergies in Rome

I did a lot of research on restaurants before going to Rome, especially ones that catered to food allergies. I have to say it was difficult. The general consensus was that Rome was very allergy friendly and we did find this to be true. But information on specific restaurants was tough to find. I knew the places that we wanted to visit (i.e. Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon, etc.) So I wanted to discover restaurant choices near our destinations, so I wouldn’t be wandering with a “Hangry” family trying to find a place to eat. We were not looking for fancy…. inexpensive, great food, great atmosphere and food allergy friendly.

One restaurant that kept popping up near The Pantheon was the Miscellanea Pub. They call themselves the “International Students Pub”, so we knew it would be inexpensive and casual. After a beautiful visit to the Pantheon at night, I told my family I had a restaurant for them. It is a bit hidden, but the CityMaps2Go App was so helpful, because we didn’t have service most of the time.

Franco was our waiter and he was fabulous. He was very friendly and told us the food allergies were not a problem, they would make it work (I made the food allergy cards, but honestly never had to use them..the one place we tried, seemed confused by them. But I am still glad that I had them, just in case).

We got the Caprese salad, Bruschetta, Pette di pollo al limone (lemon chicken) Penna all’ arrabbietta (penne with spicy tomato sauce), Spaghetti alla carbonara (pasta carbonara) and Margherita pizza and a lot of wine (house wine). Always get the house wine in Italy! The food was amazing.

Please note: Miscellanea Pub is cash only!

I forgot this and we had no cash. Franco was so wonderful and felt so bad he walked my husband to the nearest ATM and then brought us free desserts and “sexy wine”. The “sexy wine” is something you have to discover for yourself. When he brought it and I gleefully cried “Is this the sexy wine?” he was thrilled I knew what it was. (I do my research.. haha). It was wonderful!

As we were leaving, Mickey (the owner) was sitting outside and thanked us for coming. We are from Boston and he is great friends with the former mayor of Boston and former Vatican ambassador, Ray Flynn. We had a wonderful conversation about Rome and Boston. Miscellanea Pub is a must see on your next trip to Rome!

Good food is very often, even most often, simple food – Anthony Bourdain

La Canonica – Food Allergies in Rome

We recently had the opportunity to visit Rome and what an experience it was. My eldest has been studying in Europe for the last five months and we agreed to meet her in Rome. We were all so excited to see her and experience this magnificent city. When we arrived, we headed out to explore and get something to eat. We were right across the Ponte Sisto bridge from the charming neighborhood of Trastevere. Numerous people told us that Trastevere was a win for dining and character and they were so correct. It remains my favorite neighborhood in all of Rome.

We wandered, enjoying the sites and trying to pick which restaurant to go to. They all looked so wonderful, but we have a lot of food allergies to deal with in our family, so we were a bit apprehensive. Then it started to rain…it started to pour! So we just ran into the closest one we could find and we were very happy with our decision. The restaurant was La Canonica. It was the perfect first restaurant for us. It was cute, cozy with a fabulous waiter and chef who both warmly welcomed us and made us feel like family.

The waiter handled the food allergies like it was nothing…not a big deal. (nuts, tree nuts, legumes, soy, eggplant, zucchini, gluten and carrots, cucumbers). This was the beginning of a wonderful meal and my daughter got to eat anything she wanted. They made it work and we were thrilled. That first glass of wine after a long day of traveling was wonderful. (Italy Tip: always order the house wine… cheap and wonderful) We had the pizza, carbonara, raviolis and a seafood over risotto thing my husband got that looked amazing! I would highly recommend this restaurant on its own but for someone with a food allergy they were fabulous!

The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you are hungry again…. George Miller

This is so true, but we managed to do it. Thank god for the 22,000 steps on the Fitbit we were tracking.

Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina – Rome Restaurant and Food Allergy Review

When I let my sister know that I was going to Rome all she kept saying was you need to go to Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina located in the heart of Rome! She and her husband said it was the best meal they have ever had and they tell everyone to go there. When we discovered it was only a three minute walk from our hotel we were thrilled. It did not disappoint! I would highly recommend a reservation and to dine in the wine cellar. The reservation is very easily made on their website. When you travel to Rome with food allergies there is a lot of research to be done and I had a hard time finding information on specific restaurants. But if you do your research it can be done. We have a daughter with a lot of food allergies and there was a comment section on the reservation form where we inquired about what she could eat.

Our first night in Rome we ventured out for a beautiful walk through Rome to the restaurant. We were greeted by our waiter Ricardo and brought to the wine cellar. He was aware of the food allergies and let her know that she would have a fabulous meal. She is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, carrots, cucumbers, legumes, zucchini and eggplant but they had it under control. Honestly, I do believe he was very relieved that we were not uptight about it and she didn’t care what she had, she was just happy to be there. We were told to order the cacio e pepe and we would be amazed. We were! The wine was wonderful and the caprese salad, bread, gnocchi, ravioli, the limoncello, tortellini in brodo (homemade tortellini in broth) was so simple and to die for. The menu had a food allergy labeling system that made it all so easy. If you are gluten free, I found the restaurants bent over backwards to accommodate you. Roscioli is comfortable, relaxed and not very expensive, the perfect restaurant for our first night in Rome. They even brought us a little dessert with cookies you could dip in chocolate to welcome us to Rome. Roscioli is a must see.. I do believe it was the best meal I have ever had in my life.

I’d much rather drink wine and eat pasta than be a size zero – Sophia Loren

Bucket List Adventure – Rome, Italy

Recently I had the privilege of visiting Rome, Italy with my family. My daughter is studying abroad and we could not miss the opportunity to take this Bucket List Adventure. We scrimped and saved and it was so worth it . After a long 14-month battle with breast cancer last year, I have vowed to experience life more and this was a great first start. We stayed in the beautiful Hotel Ponte Sisto. It was in the perfect location to walk everywhere. Right across the bridge from the wonderful neighborhood of Trastevere with all its fantastic restaurants. We spent five days eating, sightseeing, strolling and relaxing. It was wonderful. This trip was a life-changing event for me. Rome is so spiritual and the beauty if overwhelming. To take this vacation with my whole family after the battle we have all gone through, truly makes you appreciate life.

I spent a lot of time researching restaurants for allergy issues due to our family and their multiple allergies. I found this to be challenging so I will write reviews on every restaurant that we went to and how they handled allergies. Heads up: Italy was wonderful and we found a way to eat everything. I managed to make it home without gaining any weight… Most likely due to the 24,000 steps/day my Fitbit recorded.

Living La Dolce Vita

Linguine with Clam Sauce

When I was a young girl we had a summer house on Cape Cod and my godfather would go clamming and make steamers. I loved them… I would eat more than most of the adults. Then I got a little older and turned into a squeamish little girl and that was the end of that. Well this dish made me love clams again. It is so easy to make and everyone is always impressed with how it looks even if they won’t eat it.

Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air – Ralph Waldo Emerson

1 lb. linguine cooked (reserve a cup of the boiling liquid) Regular or Gluten Free
2 lbs. clams (washed and scrubbed clean to get rid of the sand that may have been left on)
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
fresh parsley chopped (about 2 tbsp.)
1/4 tsp. red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon
Parmesan Cheese to taste (contains dairy)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until garlic is translucent. Add the white wine and the red pepper and simmer a minute and the reserved water. Add the clams and cover the pan. Leave the cover on and cook for app. 5 minutes until all the clams have opened. If you need a few more minutes, take it and then throw out any of the closed clams. Add the juice of half of a lemon. Take off the heat and add the pasta to the pan and very gently toss. At the last minute add the parsley and serve. Garnish with lemon. I put a little Parmesan Cheese on top also. Goes good with a Chardonnay and crusty bread. Enjoy!

Allergens: Shellfish, Dairy, gluten (Does work good with gluten free pasta also)