Gluten Free Foodie Weekend & the Northwest Naturals Show

Happy Monday everyone!

Over the weekend, I had the exciting opportunity to attend the Natural Products Northwest 2010 exhibition! In addition to representing Glutenfreeda Foods Inc., I was able to connect with other wonderful gluten free manufacturers: Udi's Handcrafted Foods, Rudi's Bakery, Hain Celestial Group, Zing Bars, WOW (WithOut Wheat) Baking Company, Happy Baby Organics, and many others.

We first ran into Rachel Carlyle-Gauthier (aka Gluten Free Mama) and her daughter, sampling mini pecan pies, raspberry thumbprints and chocolate cake - all of which were amazing! In addition to creating delicious gluten free baked goods, Gluten Free Mama's baking mixes feature almond and coconut flours, both of which are higher in fiber and protein than other flours. Rachel was generous enough to send us home with a couple of mixes, including a double pie crust! With fresh, local apples available right now, we're excited to take it for a test-run - stay tuned for a product review!

Walking through the expo, we met up with Don Braun of Schar Foods, an Italian-based company which provides gluten free foods to countries across Europe -- and now the U.S.! In addition to a vast selection of pastas in different shapes and grain compositions, Schar also produces cookies and biscuits and par-baked bakery items like crusty dinner rolls and fluffy sandwich buns. Round and airy, these buns can be easily cut in half and used for sandwiches or burgers, no toasting required.



Our next visit was to Shari Cole with Simply Shari's Gluten Free & Fabulous (formerly Gluten Free & Fabulous) and got a sneak peak at her fantastic new packaging! We were able to sample her melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies and so-good-you-can't-tell-they're-gluten-free individual pizzas (in cheese, pesto & cheese and organic pepperoni & cheese). Keep an eye out for a product review! And check out this article from the San Fernando Valley Business Journal about Shari's success and recent name-change.

And Now, For Something A Little Different...

This morning, the race picked up in Tariat, Mongolia with plans to travel 336km/209mi to Uliastay, in the western part of the country. Because Monday will bring us to the Russian border, we will wrap up our travels through Mongolia with an expected, if not traditional, recipe for Mongolian Beef. Although this recipe is far from traditional, it is a well-loved American interpretation of traditional Mongolian flavors.

Mongolian Beef Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into 1" pieces
1 Tablespoon gluten free hoisin sauce (like Premier Japan Wheat-Free Hoisin Sauce)
1 Tablespoon gluten free soy sauce (like Wheat-free Tamari)
1 Tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 scallions, cut into 1" diagonal slices
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 Tablespoons peanut oil

For the sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine
1 Tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon gluten free Asian chile sauce (like Sriracha [rooster sauce])
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and garlic. Mix thoroughly with beef and marinate for 15 minutes to 8 hours in refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients (rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, red wine vinegar, chile sauce, cornstarch, sugar and salt). Mix well, whisking until the cornstarch is well-combined and mixture is smooth.

Place a wok or large non-stick on the stove over the highest heat. When the wok is very hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and roll around wok to cover the surface. When oil gives off a wisp of smoke, add beef. Stir and toss until browned, about 2 minutes. Immediately add scallions, stir and toss for 5 seconds. Stir in sauce and add bean sprouts. Stir until all ingredients are well-coated. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve immediately.

More from Mongolia

Today marks the fifth day of the Peking to Paris motor challenge. Kicking off this morning in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia, the competitors plan to cover another 360km/224mi throughout the course of the day, spending the night in Kharakorin. The weather in Mongolia is a pleasant 68 F during the day, dropping below freezing during the long, clear nights. This leg of the journey is still along unpaved roads, causing some mechanical problems for several of the cars - including our own, #60 and #77, which have experienced problems with brakes, headlights and engine fans. The repairs were executed quickly and painlessly and our cars were back on the road this morning!

Lamb and Carrot Stew

Serves 4

In the northern regions of China, this recipe traditionally is made with either lamb or goat. Our version calls for lamb, but you can also use beef. This dish is also traditionally served as a hot pot; meat and vegetables in a broth. We thickened our liquid with a little cornstarch and water to make more of a typical stew type sauce.

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
¼ cup gluten free rice vinegar (like Kikkoman brand)
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 lbs lamb or beef stew meat, cut into 1” pieces
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, cut into ½” slices
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 Tablespoon cold water

Directions
In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tablespoons oil, vinegar and ground pepper. Place meat in a medium bowl and add the vinegar mixture, tossing to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add meat and discard marinade. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes, until meat is browned on all sides and onions are translucent. Add carrots, tomatoes, broth, salt, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Remove bay leaves with a slotted spoon or tongs. Mix corn starch and cold water in a small bowl, stirring well to combine. Add to stew and cook over medium heat until the broth thickens.

To serve, spoon stew into individual serving bowls and top with generous handfuls of cilantro and scallions. Serve with boiled potatoes or steamed rice.

What do National Celiac Awareness Day and ground lamb have in common..?

So much news today! The race has already left China, arriving in Mongolia yesterday! Go team! Don't forget, you can track the progress of the race live(!) through Skytag (our GPS-enabled car is #60 - Douglas Mackinnon and Anastasia Karavaeva!)

And although we have already left China, I want to share a few resources with you, dear reader, should your adventures take you East: Beijing Kids has information on support group meetings and local resources and Gluten Free Kids Travel details the difficulties of living and eating gluten free in China, especially with children. Even if you are not traveling through Asia, both of these sites highlight the challenges of any kind of gluten free travel.

And last, but certainly not the least, it is National Celiac Awareness Day! Udi's (@udisglutenfree) is hosting a Tweet Chat (using tag #NCDA2010) this afternoon, feel free to drop by any time today and join the conversation! The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) is always a wonderful resource and is even covering the race!

Because our drives now find themselves in Mongolia, we thought it appropriate to share some traditional Mongolian cuisine! ... However, upon closer inspection, we realized that the most traditional recipes may not be our best bet (roasted goat, anyone?) Historically, Mongolian cuisine is generally naturally gluten free! The traditional diet consisted of meat and milk from horses, camels, goats and sheep, and spices such as cumin, cilantro, scallions, and ginger. Cooking Mongolian "style" seems fairly straightforward, equivalent to modern grilling or cast-iron cooking (searing first and then slow-cooking). Here is a fantastic new recipe, straight from the Glutenfreeda Kitchen, featuring traditional ingredients and flavors but with a modern twist!


Mongolian Lamb Patties with Quick Tomato Chutney

Makes 16 small patties

This dish bursts with flavor and is naturally gluten-free. Serve the lamb patties with dollops of tomato chutney. This dish is typically served with a flat bread, but we serve it with steamed rice.

Mongolian Lamb Patties

Ingredients
1 lb ground lamb (you can also substitute ground pork or beef)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 Tablespoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Directions
Place the garlic, scallions, cilantro and ginger in a food processor and pulse until all is equally minced. Combine ground meat with minced ingredients in a large bowl with salt and pepper; mix well by hand. Add the meat and the ingredients to a large bowl along with salt and pepper and blend together with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spoon about 3 Tablespoons of meat mixture and form into small patties. Set on a plate and repeat with remaining mixture. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 Tablespoon of oil. When hot, add as many patties as will fit and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through and nicely browned on surface.

Quick Tomato Chutney

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup minced onion
1 dried red chile (whole)
½ teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
¼ cup minced cilantro

Directions
Heat the oil in a wok or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add cumin and saute for 5 seconds, then add the onion and chile, tossing to coat with oil and cumin. Add salt and cook until onion is soft and transparent (5-8 minutes). Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly. Discard chile. Add cilantro just before serving.

Kicking off in Peking with a Recipe!

Since you cannot race on an empty stomach, we would like to formally kick off the first day of the Peking to Paris motor challenge with a traditional favorite: Peking (Roasted) Duck! The recipe dates back to a manual written by the imperial kitchen inspector of the 1330s, developing into its present incarnation over the course of the Ming Dynasty (14th-17th centuries).

Now, to be perfectly honest, this is a rather
involved recipe... You must begin a day in advance, in order to properly hang and dry the duck, but the whole dish comes together seamlessly!

Peking Duck Recipe

Ingredients

One 4-5 pound whole duck

For the Glaze:
1 piece of ginger, approximately 1 1/2" long, peeled and sliced
12 green onions, white and pale green parts only
3 cups water
5 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

Preparing the Duck
The first step involves separating the duckmeat from the skin - for this, we suggest two potential methods to loosen the skin. The first, and more unusual method, is with a bicycle pump! (No, really!) Although, admittedly this sounds strange, it is surprisingly fun and effective! For this method, first insert a clean pin from the pump just under the skin of the breast. Pump up the duck, forcing air between skin and meat and gently separating one from the other. Repeat this process in several places, (namely the breasts, legs and thighs) until skin is fully separated, although it is not necessary to do so along the backside.

The alternate, and more traditional, method is to slip your fingers between the skin and breast meat. Carefully move your fingers around entire breast, completely (albeit gently!) separating skin from meat. Make small cuts at the tops of the legs and insert your fingers completely around legs and thighs until the skin comes away from meat.

Hanging the Duck
Don't discount this step - hanging the duck is an important step that will ensure that the skin of the finished duck will be crispy! To secure the duck for hanging, we used a needle threaded with butcher’s string and inserted it through the tail on either side of the backbone. Tie a secure knot and leave plenty of string to hang the duck.

Hang the duck in a cool, dry place. The temperature should be below 40 degrees F. Be creative! We hung our duck from a pull-down weight machine in our garage. Place a plate below the duck to catch any drippings and allow the duck hang over-night. If you can’t find a cool, dry place to hang your duck, you can dry it in the refrigerator by propping the duck up so that air can circulate around it.

Creating the Glaze
In a wok or a large deep pan, combine all of the ingredients except the cornstarch and water (ginger, water, honey, rice wine, rice vinegar) and bring to a boil. Make sure the cornstarch and water are well-combined and add to the ingredients in the wok. Return the mixture to a boil until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.

Holding onto the string used to hang the duck, lower whole bird into the glaze, turning to coat completely. Raise duck and allow to drip for a moment before lowering to coat again. When duck stops dripping, return it to its drying place (the garage, the fridge, etc.) and re-hang. The duck should be hung for at least two more hours and allowed to drip onto a plate or bucket.

Roasting the Duck
While the duck is drying, turn your oven to 350 F degrees.

Place the duck in a roasting pan, breast side up, and add 1" of water to the pan to keep the duck moist as it roasts. Roast duck for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, turning halfway through to allow the skin to brown evenly. When the duck is done, the skin will be a glossy, molasses color and a thermometer inserted into the breast reads at least 165 F degrees.

Once the duck has cooled, begin by removing and preparing the duck skin and meat, cutting legs and thighs away from the body by slicing through the joints. Peel skin from legs and thighs, slicing into thin strips. Remove breast skin in one piece - it should come away easily by sliding your fingers between the skin and meat loosen it. Cut breast skin in half, lengthwise, slicing each piece of breast skin into thin strips. Remove meat from breast bone, legs and thighs and cut into thin strips.

For the Crepes
1/2 cup gluten-free flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
Pinch of salt

In a food processor, combine the gluten-free flour, milk, lukewarm water, eggs, salt and 2 tablespoons butter, melted, processing until smooth. Pour batter into a pitcher or a container with a pouring lip, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes to thicken.

Heat a non-stick skillet (or seasoned crepe pan) over medium-heat. Melt enough unsalted butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Stir batter and pour 2 tablespoons into the crepe pan, lifting it off heat and tilting so the batter coats the bottom of the pan in a thin, even layer. Cook until the top of the crepe is set and the underside is golden before gently turning the crepe over, allowing the other side is also golden. Remove the crepe to wax paper and proceed to cook rest of crepes, one at a time. Keep crepes warm until ready to serve.

For the Garnish
12 green onions (the reserved white
tops)
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper

With a sharp paring knife, cut off root ends of the green onions. Make several inch-long cuts along the length of the onion stalks, moving inward from the white end. Put onions in ice water and set aside. (The ends of the green onions will curl as they soak up water and become quite charming brushes.) Next, score the cucumber lengthwise and then cut into thin rounds. Finally, julienne the peppers into 1/8" strips.

For the Dipping Sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup gluten-free hoisin sauce
3 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon water

In a small bowl mix all ingredients together, stirring to dissolve sugar. The sauce should be the consistency of thin ketchup and if it is too thick, add a little water.

To Present and Serve
Make a circle of cucumbers around the outside of a large serving plate, making an X pattern with the red and yellow pepper slices. Spoon a puddle of sauce into the center of the plate and dress with strips of duck meat and crispy skin. Serve with warm crepes and green onion brushes on the side.

To serve, fill crepes with strips of meat, crispy skin, cucumber and pepper. Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!