OneEyeGlassBroken

Portland Blind Cafe – An Eye Opening Experience

by Chelsea Lincoln in Featured Articles

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the Blind Café in Portland, which is a dining experience in the dark, to bring awareness to the blind community.  I first heard about it at work since Bob’s Red Mill is a sponsor of this fantastic event. This was the most amazing dining experience I have ever had and I can’t wait for the next one!  I would recommend this to everyone.

It was great to have the opportunity to spend an evening in complete darkness learning to eat, listen and live without the use of sight.  Food had more flavor, music came alive and there was no worry about people staring at you when you drop food in your lap (like I did) since no one witnessed it.  Others in my party have called it spiritual, encouraged others to learn about it and can’t stop talking about it.  There is something special about rediscovering your senses while eating absolutely delicious food, focusing on compelling poetry and feeling truly beautiful music. 

Blind Café in Portland was started by Rosh who came up with the idea after experiencing a blind café while visiting Iceland.  He brought the experience to Boulder, CO and then to Portland.  Gerry Leary, owner of the Unseen Bean coffee roasting, has been blind from birth and came together with Rosh to organize this event.  Gerry also escorted my group to our table and was super friendly and funny.  He even took Q & A from the audience about being blind.  Chef Ivy Entrekin created food with unique and appealing flavors using wholesome ingredients which left you utterly content.

The goal of The Blind Café is to be a community event and bring people closer together while raising awareness.  This was accomplished with dining and entertainment and I got to leave happy and mindful, so I would call this a remarkable success!

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Chelsea Lincoln Google: Chelsea Lincoln
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Prepared Thanksgiving Gluten Roast

A Vegan Thanksgiving

by Chelsea Lincoln in Featured Articles, Recipes

Thanksgiving is an important holiday for me since it combines my gratitude for family and friends with food.  And I am one lucky person.  I have been a vegan for about 14 years now and while other vegetarians and vegans struggle with family meals around Thanksgiving, my family has been astoundingly supportive.  There is never any concern about whether I’ll go hungry on Thanksgiving since my parents embrace a full vegan Thanksgiving feast (and they love to let me prepare it!)

Every year I try to bring something new to the table, but there are also must-haves, like stuffing.  All these recipes have been developed over the years and every holiday meal ends with full, satisfied bellies.  Whether you are just interested in trying something new, have a vegetarian or vegan family member you want to accommodate or you are vegan yourself, try out these recipes and bring one or two to your Thanksgiving feast.  Enjoy!

Whole grain stuffing with Buckwheat Groats

Whole Grain Quinoa Stuffing
Quinoa replaces bread crumbs for this nutritious and gluten free version of a classic.  Buckwheat Groats can be used in this recipe as well.

1 cup Organic Quinoa Grain, dry (or Buckwheat Groats)
1 cup Vegetable Broth 
1 cup Water 
1/4 cup Margarine (non-hydrogenated) 
1 Onion, chopped 
6 Celery Stalks, diced 
1 tsp Sage, dried 
1 tsp Sea Salt 
1 tsp Black Pepper 
1 Tb Parsley Flakes 

Bring broth and water to boil. Add quinoa and bring back to boil. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. In a skillet, melt margarine and cook onion and celery on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine prepared quinoa, onion mixture and spices. Place in an 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Prepared Thanksgiving Gluten Roast

Thanksgiving Gluten Roast

This gluten roast is an excellent meatless option with great taste and texture.  Every Thanksgiving, friends request I make this for them.  The process may seem daunting, but it is worth it!

Gluten mixture:
4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
1 Tb Nutritional Yeast
1 Tb Marjoram
1 Tb Onion Powder
1 Tb Sage  
2 tsp Salt
3 cups Warm Water
¼ cup Tamari
½ cup Oil

Onion mixture:
1 cup Onion, chopped
¼ cup Oil
½ cup Nutritional Yeast
1 Tb Paprika
1 cup Tahini
1 tsp Salt

Basting Liquid:
¼ cup Sesame Oil
2 Tb Tamari

Gluten Mixture: Mix together all the wet ingredients for the gluten mixture in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring quickly, forming a spongy dough. Knead the dough a minute so the dough will tighten up a bit.

Onion mixture: Sauté the onion in the oil until soft and starting to brown. In a small bowl, combine the cooked onion and the rest of the ingredients together.

In a food processor, blend together the gluten and onion mixture, ¼ the amount at a time. Process the mixtures for about 10 seconds. A blender can work as well but you will want to blend in smaller batches. Set the processed dough in a bowl and continue with the rest of the mixture.  Slightly blend all the mixtures together with a spoon or your hand. Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and place about 4 cups of stuffing in the middle of the pan and form into a neat mound. Shape the gluten mixture over the stuffing and slightly fold in the edges.

Blend the oil and tamari of the basting liquid together and brush the outside of the roast with it. Use about half the basting liquid and reserve the rest for later. Bake the loaf at 375ºF for 1 hour. Half way through, remove the roast from the oven and brush with the remaining basting liquid.

Crescent Rolls

This recipe using half hard white whole wheat flour and can be found in the Bob’s Red Mill Cookbook which is filled with recipes for every meal of the day. 

1 Tb Active Dry Yeast
1 ¾ cups Warm Water
1 cup Mashed Potatoes
½ cup Organic Raw Sugar
1/3 cup Margarine (non-hydrogenated)
2 Tb Cornstarch
3 cups Hard White Whole Wheat Flour
2 ½ cups Unbleached White Flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp Sea Salt
More margarine for baking, melted

Combine yeast and water in a large bowl, let stand 5 minutes.  Add the mashed potato, sugar, margarine and cornstarch into the yeast mixture.  Mix the white whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour and salt into the liquid ingredients until incorporated.  The dough should be moist but not sticky.  (If it is sticky, add more white flour).  Turn dough onto counter and knead until smooth, adding flour as needed, for 8-10 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and refrigerated 4 hours to overnight. 

Divide dough into four pieces.  Roll out each piece to a 12 inch circle.  Spread dough with melted margarine.  Cut into 12 wedges and roll each wedge up tightly and place on greased baking sheet.  Let rise 30 minutes.  Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.  Makes 48 rolls.  Recipe can be cut in half for a smaller batch if desired.

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Chelsea Lincoln Google: Chelsea Lincoln
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Gluten Free Crêpes!

Gluten Free Crêpes and Flatbread

by in Featured Articles, Gluten Free
Gluten Free Crêpes!

Gluten Free Crêpes!

One of the great things Friends of Zenger Farms does in our neighborhood is to put on some wonderful weekly cooking demonstrations to teach people in the community how to prepare meals from fresh ingredients. All summer long, rain or shine at the Lents International Farmers Market, they work to show off how easy healthy eating can be once you have a few techniques and ingredients under your belt.

Durga Fuller at the Lents International Farmer's Market

Durga Fuller at the Lents International Farmer's Market

We were especially inspired by a recent gluten free crêpe and flatbread demo by Durga Fuller. Durga is an amazing home cook who blogs about nutrient dense, allergen free diets at The Cook Awakening. We especially liked her recent post about the challenge of traveling with food sensitivities. She was kind enough to share two of her amazing recipes and some photos from her recent rainy day demo that we think you will really enjoy trying at home.

Durga cooking up a storm on a rainy day.

Durga cooking up a storm on a rainy day.

Coconut Flour Crêpes

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup organic coconut flour
• 1/4 cup organic coconut yogurt or milk
• 1 tsp salt
• Water as needed to achieve the desired texture, which should be like a thick whipping cream
• Ghee as needed to grease pan
• Optional additions: cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, stevia – use less salt if you go in the sweet direction.

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together and whisk until smooth. Let sit for a few minutes.
Place a cast iron or ceramic coated skillet over a medium heat until hot enough for water to pop when a few drops are splashed on it.
Grease liberally with ghee. Pour ¼ to ½ cup of batter into the center of the pan and swirl the pan to spread it.
Let set completely, and turn when golden brown.
Repeat until batter is finished.
Serve as a wrap for breakfast burritos, aram sandwiches, or whatever strikes your fancy. Think ‘crepe’!

Copyright 2010 The Cook Awakening

Sharing the joy of gluten free cooking.

Sharing the joy of gluten free cooking.

Gluten Free Sourdough Flatbread

Ingredients:
• 3 cups sourdough sponge
• 1 tsp Celtic Sea or Himalayan pink salt
• about 1 cup water to thin, depending on thickness desired
• ghee or coconut oil for cooking
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and cook it by the ladle full on a fairly hot griddle with plenty of ghee or coconut oil.
Spread the batter a bit with the bottom of the ladle after you pour it.
Should be lacy and browned, needs plenty of fat on the griddle.
Comes out like a thin pancake, or a thick dosa.
Great with soup, with Indian food, and makes a good rollup sandwich, too.
Depending on the size of your griddle, you should be able to make them pretty large. I’ve been using about 1/2 cup of batter per flatbread piece.

Makes approximately 5 – 6 pieces, depending on thickness and size of flatbread.

Copyright 2009 The Cook Awakening

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100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes

100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes Giveaway

by in Contests, Featured Articles, Gluten Free
100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes

100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes

October is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and we’ve decided that the best way to celebrate all the delicious ways to eat gluten free is to partner with Carol Fenster to bring you another amazing giveaway!

As many of you already know, Carol is a huge advocate for healthy gluten-free baking at home and author of several amazing cookbooks. We’re delighted to be giving away 3 copies of Carol’s brand new book, 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes. This book uses beautiful photography to highlight the top requested recipes from her earlier impressive encyclopedia of gluten free cooking, 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes.

If you’re looking for a great way to get started cooking and baking gluten free, 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes is a comprehensive, yet condensed guide to label reading, shopping guidelines, and cooking advice. One of the great things about Carol’s new book is how it seamlessly blends classics and trendy recipes alike with handy icons that denote quick, vegetarian, and kids’ favorites.

Just to make this gluten free giveaway a little more fabulous we will also add in a gift pack of some of Carol’s favorite gluten free products. Many of Carol’s recipes call for a special blend of Sorghum Flour and other gluten free ingredients that you can make ahead of time and store for use up to 3 months. You’ll be ready to dive right into making everything from Chicken Noodle Soup with Dumplings to Devil’s Food Layer Cake with Fudge Frosting if you’re one of our lucky winners.

Each of the three winners will receive a package containing The autographed book, and one package each of Sorghum Flour, Potato Starch, and Tapioca Flour so they will be ready to get started using Carol’s special sorghum blend for baking.

Gluten Free Sorghum Flour

Gluten Free Sorghum Flour

How to enter:

Please read this carefully or you may not be counted in the giveaway. You must complete number one to be entered, but you have more chances to win by completing the additional entry tasks.

1. To be entered you MUST do this: Leave a comment on this blog post and tell us what your favorite gluten free Bob’s Red Mill Product is. This must be done at www.bobsredmill.com/blog.

Additional Entries:

1 Entry: Visit Carol Fenster’s site, Savory Palate, and locate Carol’s Culinary Cues and sign up for her newsletter. THEN, report back to the blog and tell us that you subscribed.

1 Entry: Become a friend of Carol Fenster on Facebook. THEN, report back to the blog and tell us that you did.

1 Entry: Become a friend of Bob’s Red Mill on Facebook. THEN, report back to the blog and tell us that you did.

If you have already done any of these things for any of our previous giveaways, simply post about each in a separate comment here to be counted as an individual entry.

1 Entry: As a friend of Bob’s Red Mill on Facebook, post a message on our wall and tell us why you want to win.

1 Entry: Follow us on Twitter (@bobs_red_mill). THEN report back to the blog and tell us that you did.

1 Entry: If you have a blog or website, post about this contest and link back to our blog. THEN report back to our blog and tell us that you did.

Again, since so many of you are already friends of ours on Facebook or following us on Twitter, just leave a comment that you’re already doing this and we’ll still count it as an entry.

Don’t forget to return to the blog to tell us what you did to earn extra entries. The contest ends on 11/01/10 at midnight. Winners will be announced on 11/05/10.

100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes

100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes

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This is just one of the beautiful recipes submitted- Peach Melba Cupcakes

Gluten Free Registry Recipe Contest: Voting is Open!

by Cassidy Stockton in Contests, Featured Articles, Gluten Free, Recipes

This is just one of the beautiful recipes submitted- Peach Melba Cupcakes

If you haven’t visited Gluten Free Registry.com before, now is the perfect time to check out the great resources available through their site. Not only can you find gluten free friendly restaurants all over the country, you can also find information on gluten free brands, new products and support groups for everything related to the gluten free diet.

We thought the site was pretty special and partnered with them to host a restaurant recipe contest. This contest is a little different, as it required participating restaurants to create a gluten free menu item using Bob’s Red Mill products and offer that item or dish for a month. The contest is in full swing. We have 10 restaurants participating and the dishes they’ve created are drool-worthy to say the least. Here’s where it gets really exciting, each restaurant was required to submit a photo and their recipe for the contest.

With only 10 restaurants, it’s not too likely that you’ll find one in your area to visit during the contest period, but you can help us pick the winner. Head on over to GlutenFreeRegistry.com and vote! You can vote once a day for your favorite dish and get some of the great recipes that have been submitted. Voting closes on August 14th.

If you forget to snag one of the lovely recipes, we’ll be putting them all on our website when the contest ends.

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Cassidy Stockton Google: Cassidy Stockton
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Black Astralorp chickens till the soil in front of their mobile egg coop.

Friends of Zenger Farm

by in Featured Articles
The Barn as seen from the wetland restoration project.

The Barn as seen from the wetland restoration project.

Last week we were excited to visit one of the great local organizations that Bob’s Red Mill has just started working with, Friends of Zenger Farm. On paper Zenger Farm has a broad spectrum of goals that would be ambitious for any small organization, but when you walk around the farm itself you realize how naturally these goals are intertwined. Just a brief summary would begin with teaching area residents of all ages about farming, sustainability, and ecosystem preservation. But increasing food security in the local community, working to restore native wetland habitat, functioning within a neutral carbon footprint, and developing the local economy are all equally important to the core of their program of urban farming outreach.

This year, Bob’s Red Mill is proud to be involved with sponsoring Zenger’s Healthy Rewards program in conjunction with New Seasons. This program, which was designed to improve healthy food choices for low income residents, matches food stamps spent at the Lents Farmers Market dollar for dollar.

If you’re interested in stopping by this market known for its diverse group of vendors, the 2010 season runs June 6 through October 17 from 9am to 2pm every Sunday, and is located at SE 92nd and Foster in the Lents neighborhood. Stop by each week to enjoy a different chef demo and music sponsored by New Seasons.

One of the projects we’re most excited about helping out with this summer, is our plan to donate supplies to the Children’s Cooking Camp for young food enthusiasts in the 4th to 6th grades. Campers will spend the week at the farm harvesting, cooking and eating the bounty of Zenger Farm. Along the way, campers will learn about combining the flavors of whole grains with seasonal produce all the while having fun getting their hands dirty helping out on the farm.

After just a morning exploring the farm, we’d highly recommend stopping by for one of their guided tours offered every Friday at 4pm.

Black Astralorp chickens till the soil in front of their mobile egg coop.

Black Astralorp chickens till the soil in front of their mobile egg coop.

Jake the dog shows us the tire swing.

Jake the dog shows us the tire swing.

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Qausu prepares her winning dishes

Portland’s Vegan Iron Chef

by Chelsea Lincoln in Featured Articles
Bob’s Red Mill is used in a lot of vegan kitchens around the world since our whole grains are so paramount for plant based food nutrition. Whether you sprout the wheat berries, make soup with the lentils, a summer salad with quinoa, a smoothie with protein powder and chia seeds or baking up some nice muffins with the whole wheat pastry flour, our produced are used.

When Try Vegan PDX contacted us for a donation for their Vegan Iron Chef event we were happy to oblige. Our products were used in the pantry stock for the chefs and we also provided gift bags for raffle prizes. I was lucky enough to be attending the event, and wow, it was phenomenal! I have to admit I never watched on TV a profession iron chef competition, but watching these local vegan chef powerhouses fight against the clock to make plant-based appetizers, entrées and desserts with the secret ingredient chocolate, I was impressed. The food looked both creative and delicious. Each chef had a unique approach to cooking and methods used for making their tasty creations.

In the end, Qausu AsaaseYaa of the Portland food cart Asaase Ital Palace won the Vegan Iron Chef title and specially made trophy. Her foods are described as African-Caribbean Ital Soul food and they looked impressive. I am so happy we were able to be a part of this remarkable event.

Qausu prepares her winning dishes

Qausu prepares her winning dishes

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Chelsea Lincoln Google: Chelsea Lincoln
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Polenta is a simple staple, but it's easy to turn it into a gourmet dish.

Polenta Stuffed Peppers

by Cassidy Stockton in Featured Articles, Recipes
Polenta is a simple staple, but it's easy to turn it into a gourmet dish.

Polenta is a simple staple, but it's easy to turn it into a gourmet dish.

One of my favorite ingredients to use from our extensive line of products is our corn grits/polenta. I usually make them into polenta for dinner and top them off with marinara and parmesan. Our favorite way to eat polenta is to use black beans, salsa, cheddar and veggies to create what we call “Mexi-Polenta” at our house. I rarely go outside of the box on how I use polenta at home, but this recipe has been calling me for years. It’s one of the most popular here at the mill, an award-winner from a contest we ran in Cooking Light years and years ago. I think I’m going to make this for dinner tonight. It combines all of the ingredients we love and looks easy-peasy! Enjoy!

Polenta Stuffed Peppers

Contributed by Kelly Mapes

Ingredients

* 3 cups Water
* 1 cup Corn Grits-Polenta
* 1/2 tsp Salt
* 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
* 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
* 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
* 1 Tbsp Butter
* 8 oz Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
* 1 cup coarsely chopped Onion
* 2 cloves Garlic, minced
* 2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) diced Tomatoes w/ Basil, Garlic and Oregano, divided
* 1 cup chopped Parsley
* 4 large Green Bell Peppers, cut in half lengthwise, cored and seed

Directions

Bring water to a boil over in a large, deep pan. Add salt and gradually stir in polenta.

Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently until mixture is very thick, about 30 minutes. Stir in both cheeses. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in 1 can of tomatoes and parsley. Fold polenta mixture into vegetable mixture.

Spoon mixture into pepper halves. Lightly grease 9×13-inch baking pan. Spread remaining can of tomatoes in bottom of pan. Place peppers in pan; cover with foil.

Bake in 350F oven for 50 minutes. Remove foil and cook an additional 10 minutes or until peppers are tender.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: Stuffed Pepper Half (305g)

Calories 280, Total Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 6g, Cholesterol 30mg, Sodium 860mg, Total Carbohydrate 31g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 10g and Protein 13g.

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Cassidy Stockton Google: Cassidy Stockton
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GFExp02_color

Chicago Gluten Free Cooking Expo: 04/17-04/18

by Cassidy Stockton in Featured Articles, Gluten Free

GFExp02_colorIf you’re gluten free and in or around the greater Chicago area, the Gluten Free Cooking Expo should be your destination on April 17 and 18th. The Expo features two days of cooking demonstrations by notable chefs, cookbook authors and nutritionists (see a full schedule here). Not only do you have an opportunity to learn from some of the best, registration includes printed recipes, samples and goody bags, a gourmet gluten free lunch and admission to the vendor fair. Registration for the Expo ends soon, so be sure to head over to gfreelife.com to sign up.

If you can’t make it to the full Expo, the vendor fair is open to the public and will feature cooking demos, a kid’s area, and vendors (we’ll be there!). Tickets to the vendor fair are $15 and can be purchased on site.

The Expo and Vendor Fair are being held at the Wyndham Hotel in Lisle, IL. It’s going to be a lot of fun, so we hope to see you there!

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Cassidy Stockton Google: Cassidy Stockton
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Lori teaches students at the CIA about celiac disease.

A Visit to the C.I.A.

by Cassidy Stockton in Featured Articles, Gluten Free
Lori teaches students at the CIA how to cook for those with celiac disease.

Lori teaches students at the CIA how to cook for those with celiac disease.

I just returned from an incredible adventure to Hyde Park, New York!  I was given the opportunity to teach a class on gluten-free baking at the Culinary Institute of America.

The C.I.A. is the premier culinary school in the United States, thus the invitation that was extended to me by Chef Richard Coppedge was an offer I couldn’t refuse!

As someone who’s had an appreciation for the culinary arts all of her adult life, it was a surreal experience finding myself working in the kitchens of the C.I.A. The campus is situated along the banks of the Hudson river in a breathtaking setting while the facility itself is extensive and spectacular.

I found the students to be enthusiastic and eager to learn about the special dietary considerations facing individuals with celiac disease. Since most everyone enjoys sweets, I decided to demonstrate teff peanut butter cookies, teff chocolate cake and quinoa energy bars.  They were intrigued with my presentation as not only had they not baked with these flours but some had never even heard of these grains.

One of the highlights of my time with the students was when they all chose to sign a C.I.A. apron for me as a memento of our time together. I will never forget my time at the C.I.A. and will treasure meeting members of the exceptional staff, the instructor chefs as well as spending time with these awesome students!

Cheers!
Lori Sobelson

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Cassidy Stockton Google: Cassidy Stockton
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