Saturday, 17 October 2015

TV - The Intolerant Cooks

Tracy Bartram & Richard Barassi present a TV series with recipes for people with food intolerances from locations around Victoria.

Set your recorder for channel 7TWO at 2:30 on Saturday.
Full Episodes and Recipes are also available on their website at: http://www.intolerantcooks.com.au/


Saturday, 10 October 2015

2015 Gluten Free Expo & Conference

The Gluten Free Expo and Conference is on again in Melbourne on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of October, 2015 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (Jeffs' Shed).

Read our reports from previous years:

These are always excellent events to discover new products (and sample them!)

Major sponsors are Coles and Simply Wize

Full details of the show at www.gfexpo.com.au

GF Expo is presented by The Coeliac Society of Victoria & Tasmania victas.coeliac.org.au

Monday, 31 August 2015

Breakfast - Gluten & Dairy Free

Gluten & Dairy Free Breakfast
Gluten & Dairy Free Breakfast
Nearly everyone likes a cooked breakfast occasionally. And it can be really good, even if you cook it yourself, at home, and you can be confident about everything on the plate.

Here is a breakfast that I made recently. There is no dairy or gluten involved.

Grilled tomatoes.

The little truss tomatoes work well but otherwise, cut larger tomatoes in half. Place in a small frypan on low to medium heat. (They can burn easily). Drizzle with oil. Salt & pepper and a sprinkle of dried Oregano. Let them slowly cook while you get on with the rest.

Bacon.

This was some very nice gluten free bacon from a local deli. Place in another fry pan with a tiny amount of oil, if any, on low to medium heat.

Avocado.

Halve & slice up an avocado and place on your plate.  Some Rocket is also a nice addition.

Poached Eggs.

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. (We kickstart this with boiling water from the kettle)
Add a decent splash of White Vinegar as this helps the egg whites to set.
Crack your fresh egg into a cup.
Reduce the heat to a slow simmer. (Not too many bubbles)
With a large spoon, spin the water in the saucepan. Not too much.
Pour your egg into the middle of the whirlpool. The spinning action helps to keep the egg white in a tight ball.
This is now your chance to pour a second egg into the saucepan next to the other one. I find that they rarely stick together.
Set your timer for 3 minutes (soft yolk). Don't let the water get back to a boil.

Toast.

The best gluten free & dairy free bread I've found in Melbourne, so far, is Soy & Linseed bread from Lichtenstiens Bakehouse in Balaclava.
This bread toasts very well and has a great texture & taste.
I buy mine from a local Coles supermarket and keep it in the freezer. Defrosting a few slices when needed. Not many Coles in Melbourne stock this bread. Another option is Sunnybrook Health Store in Ormond.
Ingredients: Rice flour 62%, water, eggs, salt, vegetable oil(canola), sugar, yeast, vegetable gum (guar or 412) vinegar. Made in the same premises as products containing nuts.
Now you just need to plate everything up and enjoy your home cooked, gluten & dairy free breakfast!

Would you rather go out for breakfast?

In Melbourne, especially, there are countless places that have excellent breakfasts.
Many of them offer gluten free bread, but my experience is that the bread is rarely also dairy free. Ask your waiter, but worst case is that you have to go without toast.

Also be wary of other menu items that often get cooked in butter. eg mushrooms, hash browns (gluten also)

Links

Lichtensteins Bakehouse
287 Carlisle St, Balaclava VIC 3183
http://www.lichtensteinsbakehouse.com.au/


Gluten Free Shop- Sunnybrook Health Store
553A North Road, Ormond, VIC, 3204, Australia
Melway Reference: 68 F8
Email: sales@glutenfreeshop.com.au
Telephone: (03) 9578 6400
http://www.glutenfreeshop.com.au/




Friday, 23 January 2015

Zebra Dream - Organic Coconut Icecream

We tried out one of the great flavours from Zebra Dream recently.

The little 150ml "Dixie cup" is an excellent way to try out the flavours and they seem to be available for around $5. (Spoon included under the lid!!)

The Choc Mint Crunch had a very smooth & creamy texture with the organic cacao nibs adding a bitter chocolatey crunch.

Ingredients:

  • Organic Coconut milk
  • Organic Agave syrup
  • Organic Cacao powder
  • Organic Cacao nibs
  • Peppermint oil
  • Organic Guar Gum
  • Citrus Fibre

The Agave Syrup is not fructose friendly so I only had a little taste. But if this isn't a worry for you then definitely try these out. (The website shows that the Luscious Latte flavour has no Agave and is sweetened with coconut sugar. I'll try that one out when I next see them)

We found these in the freezer section at Sunnybrook in Ormond and also the Capital Kitchen at Chadstone Shopping Center.

Have you tried Zebra Dream? Let us know what you think.


Zebra Dreamwww.zebradream.com

Sunnybrook Health Storewww.glutenfreeshop.com.au

Capital Kitchen:  www.capitalkitchen.com.au