Breakfast - Gluten & Dairy Free

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/

Gluten Free 4U - Bakery in Moorabbin, Victoria

When Gluten Free 4U first opened in 2012, I was very pleased to see a gluten free related business open up in my area of the South Eastern suburbs.

I soon became a regular customer and these are are a few of the gluten & dairy free items that I regularly buy.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

I buy these in a pack of six and freeze them so that  I always have some on hand. A great staple for me with a cup of tea.
(There are other muffin flavours like chocolate, orange & poppy, but these contain dairy)

Brownie slab

Brownie

This is a very nice, light chocolate brownie which I buy as a slab and then cut up and freeze.

Bread rolls

Bread Rolls

The plain dinner rolls, and long rolls have a great texture & flavour. (Not crumbly)  I often have one of these as my work lunch.

Wraps

These are delicious, with a nice flavour & not crumbly.
I like mine with avocado, chicken & salad. Be sure not to over stuff your wrap.

Jam roll

A "sometimes" treat. A "real" Jam Roll.

Sausage rolls with carrot

If you are like me and also need to avoid fructose, these onion free sausage roles are very tasty.
Party size for me.

Meat pie

They also have a fructose free meat pie which is delicious & also dairy free.

Donuts

Another special treat are the donuts they make. I understand that they are very popular with many customers. These are better than many non-gluten free donuts!

There is a large range of goods that are gluten free (but not dairy free) so I can't be trying, but you might. Check out their website, which is excellent, as it has full ingredients lists.  Online shopping with delivery is available.

They must be doing something right as the shop can be very busy at times.
I highly recommend that you give Gluten Free 4U a try, if you haven't already.

Gluten Free 4U

5 / 1-3 Bignell Road, Moorabbin VIC 3189
Phone: 03 9555 5175
Fax: 03 9555 5739
Email: info@glutenfree4u.com.au
Web: http://glutenfree4u.com.au/

Report: 2011 Irresistible Gluten Free Food Show

September hosted the 2011 Irresistible Gluten Free Food Show at Jeffs Shed in Melbourne.
For us, this is an event that is not to be missed.

This year, the major sponsor was Macro Wholefoods Market. (You might remember that Macro was bought by Woolworths in mid-2009)

Presenters included: Tobie Puttock & Dr Sue Shepherd.

Here are some of our highlights:

• Macro Wholefoods Market
  Macro had a large display of their products, most of which you will find in your local Woolworths/Safeway.
  Recipe brochures from Toby Puttock, Spencer Clements, Dr. Sue Shepherd & Rowie Dillon were given away.
• Larder Fresh
  Roast Pumpkin & Chickpea Burger. Gluten Free, Egg free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free, onion & garlic free, preservative free. We picked up some of these. Very tasty. Great for a snack, or light lunch. No onion but still full of flavor. They also produce Falafel but these have onion.
  http://www.larderfresh.com.au/
• Bayview
  Bayview is an Australian owned company producing a wide range of crumbed fish, chicken and related products, including a gluten free range.
  New products are in the works, including: Calamari & easy to cook Fish in a bag.
  You can always find their fish fillets and chicken tenderloins in my freezer.
  A suggestion for Bayview: Please include the ingredients list for your products on your website.
  http://www.bayviewseafoods.com.au/
• Melindas
  You will always find some of the Melindas range in our pantry, especially the "Heavenly Choc Fudge Brownie Mix".
  They were promoting their own Gluten Free Self Raising Flour mix and their iPhone Allergy Free Entertaining app. (Android version soon)
  One of our clan sampled their Tuscan Style Rissotto Cakes, which received the thumbs up. These are gluten free, but do contain onion and cheese is part of the recipe.
  http://melindasgfg.com/
• House of Biskota 
  had a very interesting display of biscuits that are gluten, dairy, egg and yeast free.
  For those conscious of fructose, be aware of the biscuits that have jam as the ingredients show this contains apple.
  http://houseofbiskota.com.au/GlutenFree
• "Uncle" Rick Grant
  Rick & Rhonda were showing off a new range of seasoning mixes that are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, egg free, soy free and fructose friendly (no onion or garlic).
  Expect to see a lot more from Rick during 2012.
  http://www.rickgrant.com.au/
• Well and Good
  were present again with a fantastic range of products. Always full of enthusiasm and coming up with something new. They were showcasing several new products.
  http://www.wellandgood.com.au/
• Table of Plenty
  Gluten free Mini rice cakes but with a delicious top coating of chocolate.
  http://www.tableofplenty.com.au/
• Mary's Gone Crackers
  This range of crackers and cookies are made in the USA but distributed in Australia by Real Food Distributors.
  The Love Cookies range are fantastic, with our favourites being the N'Oatmeal Raisin (No Oatmeal!!) and the Double Chocolate.
  You can find these in health food stores and independent supermarkets.
  http://www.realfooddistributors.com.au/page/products.html
  http://www.marysgonecrackers.com/
• F G Roberts
  Regular show attendees, F G Roberts were presenting their new Palmira's bread mix which is gluten and wheat free and the bread can be made without yeast. Detailed information packs with recipes were made available.
  http://www.glutenfreehealth.com.au/
• Celebrate Health
  have an interesting range of gluten free baking mixes based on Chestnut flour (contain dairy), and a range of flavoured Quinoa: Tomato & Basil; Moroccan Spiced and Lemon & Thyme. (I've spotted these in Coles since the show)
  http://www.celebratehealth.com.au/
• Peppercorn Food Company
  were cooking up their range of gluten free sausages which are delicious.
  Not all of the them are fructose friendly as they contain garlic & onion.
  Unfortunately, the website does not list ingredients. These should be available at your local Woolworths. Ask your supermarket manager if they are not.
  http://www.peppercornfood.com.au/
• Gluten Free 4U
  This is a new bakery that has opened in Moorabbin and covers bread, pizza bases, tarts, cookies & cakes, all manufactured in a dedicated gluten and nut free enviornment.
  5/1 Bignell Rd. Moorabbin
  http://www.glutenfree4u.com.au/
• Kez's Free
  were launching their new Vienna Eclair gluten free biscuits.
  Not dairy free. Try the Melting Moments for a gluten and dairy free biscuit.
  http://www.kezs.com.au/products-kezs-free.asp
• Deeks Health Foods
  We first tried this bread while traveling in the ACT a few years ago and found it to be very good.
  Deeks is now becoming available in Victoria and definately worth a try. Available at Sunnybrook.
  http://www.deeks.com.au/
• Vitality Bakehouse
  Have a large range of gluten free baked goods.
  Their Christmas Pudding is also dairy free along with our favourite, the Orange Poppy Seed Muffins. (Hard to find on the Internet)
  http://www.raffleshealthyfoods.com.au/
• San Remo Pasta
  This is our first stop for gluten free pasta. Our favourites are the Penne & Spirals.
  http://www.sanremo.com.au/
• Yes You Can
  has a range of bread, cake and pancake mixes that are gluten, wheat and yeast free.
  Some have dairy free options including the cupcake mix.
  http://yesyoucan.net.au/yes-you-can/home

You can be sure we will be back in 2012 to see (and taste) the latest gluten free products on the market.

Well & Good - Crusty Bread Mix - Gluten, Dairy & Nut Free

At the 2010 Irresistible Gluten Free Food Show, one of the many items we sampled, was some bread made using a new product from Well & Good, called Crusty Bread Mix.

We were immediately impressed by the taste and texture of this bread including an excellent crust. It tasted almost like "real" bread.
We left the show with a box of this mix in our bag.

What's in the box?

• Sachet of yeast
• Packet of bread mix
• Sachet of dusting flour (used when kneading)

You must provide some warm water, oil and elbow grease for the mixing. (We chose the Hand Mix method rather than Electric Mixer).

The method to make this bread is very easy and our 10 year old daughter did most of the mixing, kneading and shaping. This was made even easier by being able to watch the many videos that Well & Good have on their website showing in detail how to make their mix into various kinds of bread.

Here is the result of our first attempt:

Tips
Even thought this was our very first loaf using this mix, below are some things we might do differently.
All ovens are different. Ours is a fan forced oven and we cooked the loaves for the 28-34 minutes suggested on the box at 200 degrees Celsius. The plaited loaf was a bit doughy so we cooked the other for a further 10 minutes or so. This turned out much nicer.

If you haven't tried a gluten & dairy free bread lately, then it is time you did, as things have certainly improved. Making this bread was very easy and the results are very close to "real" bread.

We look forward to making more loaves with this and other bread mixes currently on the market very soon.

Ingredients
Corn starch, rice flour, dextrose monohydrate, potato flour, tapioca starch, thickeners (464,466), psyllium husk, modified maize starch, iodised salt, pea protein, vegetable gums (xanthan, carrageenan, tara)

Made right here in Melbourne.

http://www.wellandgood.com.au/