Going bananas.....

So I recently had a little surgical procedure done and have been banned to my home and told to "take it easy and rest."  Like for 4 weeks.  And for all my friends who know me, I'm not the best at just sitting for any length of time and sitting around makes me go bananas. But like my mama always said, "when life hands you a bowl of mushy bananas, make banana bread!"

I'm kidding.  She never said that.  But my head did.  And that's exactly what I did today to keep myself from swinging from the vines stir crazy....

Today I'm going to share with you my FAVORITE banana bread recipe of all time.  I got this from my buddy Mark's cookbook years ago, Preserving the Harvest. Hands down it is still the best banana bread recipe I've made and eaten.  And now I've adapted it to a gluten free and proud to be version that any monkey would love. 

  

Banana Bread:

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
6 ripe bananas, mashed
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Gluten Free Flour (or your favorite gf flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum***

Optional: 
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Blend the sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add the eggs one at time and beat well after each addition.  Stir in bananas gradually.  Sift the dry ingredients together and fold gently into the banana mixture.  Pour into 2 well-greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. 

***General Tips for Using Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum in Gluten-Free Cooking

• Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes
• Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used
• Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used

Xanthan gum can be purchased at your larger grocery chains (look in the baking aisle) or you can order online (Amazon carries it).  It's expensive, but you use so little of it, that it lasts a really really long time.

Why Xanthan gum?  It helps to thicken the batter and "glue" it together - replacing and mimicking what gluten does in wheat flour.  Much needed when converting your favorite gluten-filled recipes to a GFP2B one. 



My monkey loves his with chocolate chips!

What's your favorite GFP2B baked-good recipe?  Please share! 



Boy these shoes hurt...

So my GFP2B friends, let me tell you a story ('bout a lovely lady...sorry, love the Brady Bunch).  My fun and crazy family is full of not-so-fun and crazy autoimmune disorders.  Between me and my 7 brothers and sisters and my 15 nieces and nephews, we have Juvenile (type 1) diabetes, thyroid disease, crones disease and of course  - Celiac disease.  

I scored two of the autoimmune disorders - both Juvenile Diabetes and Hashimotos Thyroiditis (say that 20 times fast).  Lately, I've had a lot of issues with the lovely Hashimoto thyroid condition and in doing research, there were a lot of articles on the benefits of - da da da dum - a gluten free diet to help with the condition.

What did I have to lose?  I mean - I already was a gluten free guru, right?  And hey - as a GF Mama, it was my duty to walk a mile in the boy's shoes and see what it's like for him to be GF.  I already ate GF 50% or more of the time so really, could it be that difficult?

Yes.  Yes it could. 

I found myself struggling with what to eat for lunch - especially when dining out for work.  Salad, salad and more salad - that got old pretty darn fast.  If I was at a restaurant that had a GF menu, I was in heaven - over the moon!  But I would be lying if I told you  I didn't miss my favorite tuna salad wrap from my favorite lunch haunt.  However I was pleasantly surprised at how many restaurants had GF options!  So that definitely helped.  Sadly, no GF tuna salad wraps though.  Bummer.

Then there was beer.  Specifically Troeg's Nugget Nectar beer.  This German girl's favorite seasonal brew.  That one hurt.  Bad.  Then I found out there is actually some really good GF beers out there.  My favorite?  Dogfish Head Craft Beers - Tweason' Ale.  Sweet, tart, crisp.  Had me singing Edelweiss in no time. 

There were some great pizza options. Typically we get the boy his own GF pizza and the hubby and I a "regular" pizza to save on the price. Our favorite GF pizza is about $12 for a small pizza.  That's the same price as an regular, large pizza.  With toppings.  But it was pizza.  Really really good $12 pizza. 

Then there were those awkward moments of going to a party and worrying if they would have GF foods available.  Or the work event that only serves wheat filled, breaded hors d'oeuvers.  Pass the crudité. 

I did the GF diet for about a month.  Though it was not easy for this 44 years of gluten-eating mom, the boy was one of my biggest supporters - and I think he was really proud of me for trying.  I gained such an appreciation for his lifestyle and what he does to stay GF in social situations.  And how hard it can be sometimes.  I am in such admiration of him - he deals with all the challenges a GF diet brings with a big goofy smile on his face and a zest for life!  And being GF doesn't bother him one bit.  How awesome is that? 

I'm going to try and go 100% GF again. Hopefully this time I will be stronger than that Nugget Nectar beer......

What's your best GF coping skill that you've learned?   Do tell! 

My cup runneth over....

Can I just tell you what a lucky GFP2B mama I am?  I got yet another new gluten free product to try from another one of my super-wonderful BFF's - Kris the awesome baker who happens to also work at Williams Sonoma.  That's a long title, but she's worth it.  Kris picked this up for me and the boy to try:

Cup for Cup Gluten Free Waffle and Pancake Mix

 

Now there's lots of great pancake/waffle mixes out there.  But I gotta tell you ladies and gentleman, this stuff is really superb.  Check out how these bad-boys cook up:

 

 

They were so light and fluffy!  I mean "IT'S SO FLUFFY" kind of fluffy!  In fact, I made them a little too big (but really, can there be a pancake that's too big?).  And of course you have to add chocolate chips. Because it's Saturday. And it's chocolate chips. 

 

The texture was absolutely perfect. Very light and well...fluffy. This mix calls for milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla, making the batter rich but still light and not too sweet.  

 

Cup for Cup makes lots of great GF products.  You can see a complete list on their website and  they are available (obviously) and Williams Sonoma and on Amazon. 

 

Boy thought they rocked!!!  Definitely a top-ten hit in this GFP2B family!



What's one of you favorite GF breakfast items?