Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

Today we had a farmers market at work and they were selling strawberries. When I saw the strawberries I was instantly in the mood for Strawberry Shortcake. As soon as I got home I got into the Internet to search for Angel Food Cake recipe. After looking at several recipes I went with the one below. I pulled this recipe from a Gluten-Free website called "My Wheat's End". How clever is that blog title?

 

http://mywheatsend.blogspot.com/2007/05/gluten-free-angel-food-cake.html

 

Here is the excerpt from this blog...

 

This is a really special angel-food cake, perfect for the coming berry and fruit season. Tetra-pak egg whites make this easy and don’t leave you with a dozen lonely egg yolks yearning to be made into pudding.

 

Ingredients

2/3 cup sweet rice flour

1/3 cup potato starch flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

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12 egg whites (I used egg beaters where 3 tbsp is equivalent to 1 egg white)

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup sugar

 

Directions

  

Combine flours, 3/4 sugar, salt, and xanthan gum. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extract until quite stiff. While beating, gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture by hand. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan. Gently cut through the batter with a knife to break air bubbles. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes. Invert immediately on the top of a bottle. Allow to cool completely before turning out. I did not invert but rather just put on top of an empty Corona bottle. I have to say this was the best "Gluten-Free" Angel Food Cake. My husband and the Nanny ate it and really loved it! It isn't as fluffy and airy as regular Angel Food Cake, but they actually stated they liked it more. It wasn't like a cake, but just a slight bit heavier than the one you get a Vons or Albertsons in that cardboard fluted pan.

 

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment...

 

Opinion: Gluten-Free Pancakes

I am going to start blogging my opinions about different foods that I try. Today I will start with pancakes, since that's what I wanted for breakfast. My opinion today is based on my likes and what I have seen my children eat as well. I don't force my girls to eat gluten-free, they just want what I eat so I cook (today and any day I make pancakes). Over the past few months we have tried the following pancake mixes...

• Bob's Red Mill
• Pamela's
• Trader Joe's

Okay, I know, not very many! Having eaten these several times with my girls (hubby sleeps during the day) I realized they like the same mix I do. My girls can eat regular pancakes and still do sometimes.

Bob's Red Mill mix I find is a little thick (per the instructions). Even if you don't add as much of the mix it doesn't make a difference they still don't taste that wonderful. They are edible with a ton of syrup and butter, but a little on the gritty side. I also notice than when I make these pancakes my girls don't tend to eat them all and ask for more, even with the extra syrup.

Trader Joe's Mix... can I just say that I haven't, yet, found anything that Trader Joe's produces delicious or worth purchasing again. All I have to say is STAY AWAY! My girls after several attempts ate maybe 2 bites of their pancakes and then asked for cereal.

Pamela's, OH PAMELA'S (in a singing voice)! These pancakes are, so far and by far, the most delectable and fluffiest! My girls come asking for more and so do I! I think it has to be that they use Almond Flour and none of these other mixes do. The consistency is perfect, the taste is perfect and the way the cook is perfect (not too thick just nice and fluffy). YUM!!!!

If you have any other suggestions for me please respond. I would love to try your recipe or mix!

Realization

So, All my life I just thought I was a person allergic to the outside. What I mean is that I am allergic to dust, pollen, mold, etc... Well I am allergic to those things but not on the scale I knew. Before going gluten-free I thought the reason I had thickness in the back of my throat was because I was a nasally person with tons of allergies. So, I have now been gluten-free for 5 months and 9 days and Spring this year didn't effect me. Interesting! How do I know this? Well, yesterday I went to lunch with some co-workers and a vendor. I asked about what foods were gluten-free and they weren't sure but told me to eat the salad with chicken. So at this restaurant in the middle of eating this thickness that I once thought was due to allergies is back due to a different type of allergy. I swear I ate gluten. I started coughing and tried to clear my throat with water and that noise you make when you try to clear your throat. Nothing worked! Then that night I payed for it. Still don't know what had gluten in it, but that when the realization hit... All the thickness in my throat all my life was due to wheat. Today a co-worker of mine who is gluten-free was talking to me about how she was always tired. I told her that I haven't felt tired like I used to in a long time. another realization hit me. About 5 years ago I went to the doctor because I would have missing moments. I would sit at my computer at 1:00 and than time was lost and it would suddenly be 3:00. I never felt rested. The doctor took blood and found that my white blood cell count was high and thought that I had an infection somewhere. He would then put me on antibiotics but the symptoms never went away. I cant believe this disease has been with me all along and now I am finally diagnosed. Every website talks about malnutrition as a symptom. I never had that issue luckily. My symptoms after looking back were the following (and remember the endoscopy biopsy came back positive with celiac)...

• Stomach Distension
• Thickness in my throat
• Constant high white blood cell count
• Fatigue
• Moments of time loss
• Tiredness
• Unable to focus on work or other things (maybe this is the reason I clean the house so weird)
• Irritability
• Stomach Pain

The one thing that made them finally run tests was the acute pain in my upper abdomen on the right side. That pain woke me up in the middle of the night starting November 2007, but went away by taking an acid reducer that the doctor prescribed.

Pizza Fusion: Part II ***

Expensive! Shall I say it again? Expensive! It was $20.00 for a Gluten Free Pizza the size of a small pizza from Domino's. My Co-Worker, Lashonda, who is also Gluten Free came with me to enjoy FRESH, HOT Pizza. I cant lie! It was SOOOOOOO Delicious. We bought 2 different pizzas and shared. We pretty much ate an entire pizza each. There is noting better than pizza right out of the oven that wasn't frozen first =o). Anyways, so what was it like? Oh fabulous (if you dont think about the price)! If you like a thin crust you will like these pizzas. The pizza in the picture was the Bruschetta Pizza. I would suggest adding sauce to the pizza (I dipped my pizza) to give it a little more flavor and moisture. I cant say I wasnt full when I left. I truly enjoyed the company and the pizza that day. Talk about a day of positives! yeeeee haaaaaa! I will definitely visit Pizza Fusion again in the near future after I save up for it. tee hee!

Pizza Fusion

Well, I just learned about a place called Pizza Fusion that's opening up on the 28th at 11:00am. This place serves Gluten-Free Pizza. Shall I say it again... GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA!!! Fresh pizza, not frozen pizza! 3827 5th Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 Phone: 619-278-0057 http://www.pizzafusion.com/