Christmas.  We don’t like thinking about it much ourselves, but the reality is, it is only six weeks away!  So, we have found some great gluten free treats to make Christmas enjoyable for all the coeliacs and gluten intolerant amongst us.

All of the gluten free Christmas items can be viewed by clicking on the following link: http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Christmas-p-1-c-289.html

Puddings - Pud for All Seasons
This year we have a traditional plum pudding and a choc orange pudding with cointreau.

• Large (800g) for $24.75
• Small (100g) for $4.95

Mince Pies
Knead Bakers have produced a lovely tasting mince pie that contains dried fruit and figs. The mince pies are made to order, so there may be a few days delay in sending out orders containing the mince pies. They also have a shelf life of 2 weeks, so if you are saving them for Christmas, we recommend freezing them as soon as you get them.
Pack of 5 for $15.

Hampers

photo of a gluten free hamper

A perfect gift for the gluten free person.  If you want one yourself, forward this email on to someone who loves you!  The gluten free hampers contain some great gourmet treats from our store, including a Christmas pudding.

• Small - $39.50
• Medium - $64.00
• Large - $84.00

New Stock

We have found some great new products that are now in store.

Shortcrust Pastry Mix - Rowie’s Cakes
An easy way to make gluten free shortcrust pastry for all those pies and tarts!  Just add butter and egg and your favourite sweet or savoury filling.
$5.95 per pack

Cake Mix - Rowie’s Cakes
Made with organic quinoa flour and a lovely cinnamon flavour.
$5.95 per pack

Tea Biscuits - Eskal
Perfect snack biscuit to serve with tea or coffee. Contains approximately 28 biscuits in each pack.
$4.51 per pack

Kakadu Plum & Sweet Chilli Sauce - Outback Spirit
Kakadu plums are found in the top end from Kakadu to the Kimberly. They are delightfully tangy and highly valued by Aboriginal people as a refreshing ‘pick me up’. Use with chicken, pork, lamb and seafoods. Add to pan juices when cooking. Great through Asian noodles and is a wonderful dipping sauce.
$4.05 per jar

Mango and native mint chutney - Outback Spirit
This chutney is the perfect partnership of mango with aromatic native mint - the sweetness of the mango balanced with the fresh yet peppery mint flavour.
$5.00 per jar

Specials

All our current specials can be viewed at http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Specials-p-1-c-282.html

• Popcorn - Sea Salt - $2.97, save 33 cents
• Empower mud cake - $4.85, save 40 cents
• Corn chips $3.30, save 20 cents
• Cherry tarts $9.24, save $1.36

Gluten Free Life will also be selling some specially created hampers - containing only gluten free products.

This month read about our listing of fructose friendly gluten free products; the Irresistible Gluten Free Wheat Fee Show; some recipes for the kids; and of course an update on our new products and food currently on sale.

Jason & Jodie

www.glutenfreelife.com.au

Fructose Friendly, Gluten Free Products

As a large percentage of our customers require foods that are fructose friendly, we have created a category on our website specifically for fructose friendly products. We have identified over 40 products using the latest edition of Dr Sue Shepherd’s “Low Fructose Malabsorption Food Shopping Guide (FODMAP ^TM)”.  You can view all of our fructose friendly products at

http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Fructose-Friendly-p-1-c-290.html

Irresistible Gluten Free Wheat Free Show - 11 & 12 October

For anyone who can get to Melbourne this coming weekend, head along to Jeff’s Shed (aka The Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre) to try out some great tasting gluten free food.

The following brands available to buy online from Gluten Free Life will be exhibited at the show:

• Basco
• Casalare
• Changs
• Eskal (Trialia Foods)
• FG Roberts
• Freedom Foods
• Go Natural
• Healtheries
• Irresistible Lollies
• Leda Nutrition
• Lowan
• Naturally Good
• Orgran
• Select Health Products
• Tasty Bite
• Thomas Chipman
• Well and Good

• Yakandandah

Cooking gluten free for kids

Cooking gluten free for children is not always easy and often takes a bit of extra thought.  Recently I made some vegie burgers for my son and they were a bit of a hit!  Jodie

Vegie burgers

• 300g butternut pumpkin
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1 small zucchini
• About 12 broccoli florets
• ¾ cup Orgran All Purpose Crumbs - http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/All-Purpose-Crumbs-Orgran-p-16311.html
• Rice flour for dusting

Peel and chop all vegetables into 2 cm chunks.  Steam the vegetables until soft.  Then finely mash or puree the cooked vegetables. Add the rice crumbs to vegetable mixture. Roll mixture into golf sized balls.  Dust in rice flour. Cook in a fry pan for approximately 3 minutes on each side, until brown.

Chocolate Spiders

Great for kids parties!

• 1pkt Changs Gluten Free Fried Noodles - http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Fried-Rice-Noodles-Changs-p-16198.html
• 2 tabs crunchy peanut butter
• 200g cooking chocolate (milk or dark)

Microwave chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 30 seconds on high.  If not melted, microwave again in 5 second intervals.  Mix well until it is a smooth paste. Add noodles and coat them well. Spoon mixture onto grease proof paper or into individual patty pans. Place in refrigerator until set.

Recipe courtesy of www.changs.com

New products

Each month we have been adding new products, and will continue to do so. As always, if you have any product suggestions, please email them to us at admin@glutenfreelife.com.au 

Kakadu plum and sweet chilli sauce - Outback Spirit

Kakadu plums are found in the top end from Kakadu to the Kimberly. They are delightfully tangy and highly valued by Aboriginal people as a refreshing ‘pick me up’. Use with chicken, pork, lamb and seafoods. Add to pan juices when cooking. Great through Asian noodles and is a wonderful dipping sauce.
$4.05, 250g jar.
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Kakadu-Plum-Sweet-Chilli-Sauce-p-16352.html

Maccheroncini (macaroni) - Bi-Aglut

We’ve added the macaroni to the range of Bi-Aglut pasta in store.
$10.10 per 500g pack.
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Maccheroncini-Bi-Aglut-p-16348.html 

Eskal Tea Biscuits

We’ve placed an order, and the tea biscuits should be in store within a week.

Specials

Indian butter chicken deli puffs
$2.97, save 33 cents
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Indian-Butter-Chicken-deli-puffs-Sues-Own-p-16302.html

Apple muffin mix
$5.00, save 55 cents
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Apple-cinammon-muffin-mix-Basco-p-16134.html

Madras Lentils - Tasty bite
$3.90 - save 35 cents
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Madras-Lentils-Tasty-Bite-p-16287.html

BBQ Vegechips
$2.20 - save 25 cents
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/BBQ-Chips-Vegechips-p-16258.html

Rice flour
$3.80, save 20 cents
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Rice-Flour-White-Lotus-p-16306.html

Fettuccini carbonara
$2.50, save 45 cents
http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Fettuccine-Carbonara-Basco-p-16315.html

Yes, it’s one year since we started Gluten Free Life and we are celebrating with a special offer. Place an order for at least $50 worth of food in September 2008 and have it delivered for free! This offer is valid only for deliveries in Australia. 

We have again been ordering lots of new yummy products, including gnocchi and apple pies.  So check out the new products and specials sections.  Jodie also attended a cooking class organised by The Coeliac Society of Victoria and has written a short article about it.

Thanks for shopping from Gluten Free Life!

Happy Eating!

Jason and Jodie

www.glutenfreelife.com.au

Cooking with Tony Chiodo

I recently attended a fun and interesting cooking demonstration class with Chef Tony Chiodo, organised by The Coeliac Society of Victoria and hosted by Enoteca Sileno.  It was a very enjoyable and informative afternoon; Tony cooked 3 yummy gluten free dishes - crumpets, gnocchi and chocolate pots with orange and polenta biscuits - that were not difficult to make, as well as providing lots of additional handy tips about gluten free cooking. 

Tony started experimenting with gluten free cooking a number of years ago, when he found he felt better eating gluten free and using whole and natural foods.  He now uses a number of different gluten free flours and grains in cooking and over time has learned how they behave differently.  For example, some flours are good for binding and thickening, while others can be used to provide additional fibre to a dish.  The dishes Tony cooked during the demonstration were delicious and as a good teacher, he provided simple and clear instructions so that we can make them at home.  He also answered many questions from the full class and discussed what other ingredients we could substitute in the dishes to suit our individual tastes.  Tony has recently written a cookbook, Eating Well, which is largely gluten free.

So, it was a great way to spend a cold winter’s afternoon.  The class certainly encouraged me to do more cooking at home and experiment with the wide range of gluten free flours and grains available these days.  Enoteca Sileno were wonderful hosts.  They offer a range of Italian cooking classes throughout the year and also have a fabulous Italian restaurant which includes many gluten free dishes on the menu.  (It is one of my favourite restaurants for those in Melbourne!) Thanks to The Coeliac Society of Victoria for organising the day.  The class was so popular, it was repeated in the afternoon.  The Society regularly arranges classes and events to assist people living on a gluten free diet, as do the coeliac societies in other states.

Furthermore, as a result of the class, we have added the Italian Bi-Aglut gluten free plain flour to our list of products.  This was one of the main flours Tony used in his dishes.  We already have the Bi-Aglut pastas in stock, great gluten free pasta imported from Italy, so this will be a good addition.

Jodie

For further information:

• The Coeliac Society of Victoria - www.vic.coeliacsociety.com.au
• The Coeliac Society of Australia - www.coeliacsociety.com.au
• Tony Chiodo’s website, Eating Well Daily - www.eatingwelldaily.com.au
• Eating Well by Tony Chiodo - available at Enoteca Sileno and other selected book stores.
• Enoteca Sileno - www.enoteca.com.au

Tony Chiodo’s Orange and Polenta Biscuits

(Reprinted with permission)

• 170g unsalted butter
• 170g sugar
• 255g polenta
• 100g Bi-Aglut gluten free flour
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 175 deg C.

In a large bowl, rub the butter, sugar, polenta and flour together and then add the orange zest and eggs.  Cover and refrigerate for an hour or until firm.

Line a tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper and spoon small teaspoons of mixture onto the paper leaving 4cm between each biscuit. 

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes or until the edges of the biscuits are golden.  Remove and cool on a cooling rack before eating.

New products

Gnocchi - Rustichella d’abruzzo - http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Gnocchi-Rustichella-dabruzzo-p-16347.html

Gluten free potato gnocchi! What more is there to say? Package serves 2 people and cooks in 2 minutes.

$7.95 per 500g pack

Deluxe Fruit Muesli - Carman’s Fine Foods - http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Deluxe-Fruit-Muesli-Carmans-Fine-Foods-p-16346.html

A delicious blend of lightly toasted rice flakes, puffed rice, honey, cinnamon, gourmet nuts, and dried fruits.

$6.00 per 400g packet

Bramley Apple Pies - Livwell - http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Bramley-Apple-Pies-Livwell-p-16351.html

Four pastry cases filled with a delicious bramley apple filling. Free from gluten, wheat, milk and egg.

$10.60 per pack of 4

Cherry Bakewell Tarts - Livwell - http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Cherry-Bakewell-Tart-Livwell-p-16350.html

Shortcrust pastry cases with almond flavour and strawberry jam, decorated with fondant icing and a cherry. Free from gluten, wheat, milk and egg.

$10.60 per pack of 4

September Specials

View all our specials online at http://www.glutenfreelife.com.au/Specials-p-1-c-282.html

• Bombay Potatoes - Tasty Bite:  $3.90, save 35 cents
• Buttermilk Pancake Shake - Basco:  $2.99, save 16 cents
• Chilli Lime Chips - Vegechips :  $2.20, save 25 cents
• Choculence -Leda Nutrition:  $4.40, save 45 cents

Next month we celebrate our first birthday! We are getting quite excited about reaching this important milestone. Keep an eye out for our newsletter next month for a special offer we are planning to celebrate it.

Keep reading below for our monthly recipes and specials. 

Happy Eating!

Jason & Jodie

www.glutenfreelife.com.au

Gluten Free Expo in Sydney

The NSW Coeliac Society is running its annual gluten free expo this month. If you are in or can get to Sydney, head along to the showground and sample some tasty gluten free food! If you do come across something that is particularly scrumptious, drop us a line at admin@glutenfreelife.com.au.

The show will be held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

• Friday 22 August 2008 - 4pm - 8pm
• Saturday 23 August 2008 - 9am to 5pm

More details at www.glutenfreeexpo.com.au 

Recipes

Baked tomatoes

• 1 tsp Massel Vegetable Stock Powder,
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 tbsp gluten free crumbs 
• 6 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 roma tomatoes

Preheat oven to 180oC.
Holding the halved tomato, squeeze out the seeds. Place it, cut side down on inclined cutting board to shed as much vegetable water as possible.
Combine crumbs, half the stock powder, parsley and garlic.
Place the tomatoes, cut side up in a non-stick over proof container. Sprinkle the inside of each with a tiny dash of sugar.
Dissolve the other half of the stock powder in 3 tablespoons of water.
Fill each tomato with the crumb mix.  Pour 1 tablespoon of the stock gently onto each filled tomato. Then pour remaining stock into the bottom of the container.
Bake 30 mins until the liquid has evaporated and the topping appears golden.

Source: www.massel.com.au

Almond Bread

• 150g F.G. Roberts’ plain flour
• 125g castor sugar 
• 3 egg whites   
• 185g whole roasted almonds

Warm oven to 180C
Grease and base line 8×26cm bar tin.
Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar a little at a time and beat until dissolved.
Fold in sifted flour and nuts.

Spread mixture into prepared tin and bake for about 30 minutes until firm to touch.
Turn on to wire rack to cool.

When cooled, wrap in foil and refrigerate for 24 hours (this helps reduce the loaf from crumbling).  Remove from fridge, and slice thinly. Place slices on flat trays in a single layer and bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

Source: www.soyproducts.com.au

Sweet pie pastry

• 1¾ cups F.G. Roberts’ plain flour
• ½ cup castor sugar
• 100g chilled butter, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cold water, more if required

Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl.  Add the chopped butter and mix with hands (a crumb like mixture will form).  Mix in the egg slowly.  Add water and continue to mix with hands until mixture just comes together.  Place mixture on a lightly floured board and knead.  Flatten pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll until about 1cm thick or until fits prepared dish.  Put in greased baking dish and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.  Top with your favourite pie filling and bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned.

New products

Daisy Kisses - House of Biskota  

Delicious shortbread type biscuits with a jam centre. Each pack contains six biscuits.
$5.60

Vanilla Cake Mix - Select Foods 

Vanilla flavoured cake mix. Wheat, gluten and yeast free.  Add your own flavouring. 
Only $3.95.

Fruit & Nut Delight snack bars - Go Natural  

Now available in a handy pack of 5 - perfect to keep in the pantry for school or work lunch boxes!
$6.27

Gluten Free Baking Powder - Lotus 

Lotus gluten free baking powder is made without sodium, cereals, gluten, or aluminium. Baking powder can be used instead of self raising flour. In most recipes, 2 - 2.5 level metric teaspoons can be used for each cup of plain flour. 
$4.80 for 150g.

Also coming soon:

Livwell apple pies, Bi-Aglut gnocchi, Carmen’s muesli, and more from the House of Biskota!

Monthly Specials

Amaretti Biscotti - Orgran 

Almond flavoured biscuit from Orgran.
$2.97, save 23 cents

Tortilla Wraps - Empower 

Gluten free lunches made easy - just add your traditional sandwich fillings.
$5.99, save 66 cents

Fried Rice Noodles - Changs

Great addition to salads (see our Crunchy Asian salad recipe from a previous newsletter)
99 cents, that’s a huge 27% off!

Gluten Free Muesli - Soland

$3.50, save $1.30 (limit of 2 packets per customer until sold out)

Popcorn, Original Sweet and Salty - Cobs

Cobs organic popcorn is lightly salted, slightly sweet! Made from Australian grown organic corn, it is cholesterol free, gluten free, free from genetically modified ingredients, and has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
$3.85, save 35 cents

Healtheries Simple Indulgence Peanut Crunch bar

Go nuts over Healtheries Simple wheat and gluten free Peanut Crunch! Enjoy the feast of peanuts smothered in delicious milk chocolate. Contains no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners. 
$1.65, save 30 cents

Happy Eating!
Jason and Jodie

Then there are a number of products that are direct substitutes for foods that normally contain gluten (wheat, barley, rye or oats) such as gluten free pasta, cereals, sauces and confectionary.  For example, soy sauce naturally contains barley, but soy sauce based on tamari is gluten free.  This gluten free product be used a direct swap for soy sauce in a recipe.

Finally there are the foods which may need a mix of ingredients to replace foods with gluten.  These are typically foods based on wheat flour where often a mix of gluten free flours is needed to replace the wheat.  Gluten is a binding agent in cooking and therefore, without this agent, different ingredients are required.  Fortunately, there are many products available these days that do this substitution for you.  There are a number gluten free sweet and savoury biscuits, a range of packet mixes for cakes, muffins, pizza bases, bread and pancakes. The mixes use a variety of gluten free flours to make them taste good and most closely resemble the wheat based original.  You can also buy ready made gluten free plain or self-raising flour (such as FG Roberts or Casalare) that can often be substituted for normal flour in many recipes. 

Enjoy cooking gluten free! If you have a recipe that you have created and want to share with the world, please send to us and we’ll publish them in one of our newsletters.

Cannelloni filling

• 3 tabs olive oil
• 500g mince beef
• 250g frozen spinach, defrosted
• 3 tabs pesto sauce
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup Orgran All Purpose Crumbs
• 2 tabs olive oil
• 1 egg

Sauce

• 2 (425g) tins diced tomatoes
• 2 tabs olive oil
• 2 tabs tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Dash red wine (optional)
• Handful chopped fresh parsley
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 200 deg.  Grease large baking dish. Put 1 tab oil in a frypan and add the mince.  Cook until browned. In a separate small saucepan, brown the pine nuts in a little oil, about 5 mins.  Drain on paper towelling and then chop roughly. Combine pesto, garlic, pine nuts, crumbs, 2 tabs oil and egg in a bowl.  Add the mince and spinach and mix. Stuff each cannelloni shell with filling.

For the sauce, put tomatoes, oil, tomato paste, herbs and wine in a frypan.  Simmer for 20 mins. Pour half the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, covering the whole dish.  Arrange the cannelloni in 1 layer on top of sauce.  Pour the remaining sauce over cannelloni, ensuring all pasta is covered.  Top with parsley and parmesan cheese.  Bake in the oven for 35-40 mins.

Just add 1 cup of your favourite dried fruit or mixed fruit, 3 teaspoons of mixed spice and 1 teaspoon castor sugar to a bread mix - Basco, Orgran, Well and Good – and bake in the oven as per the mix instructions.

Slicing gluten free bread

We all know that gluten free bread crumbles more easily than normal bread, as it doesn’t contain gluten, a key binding agent. So when you want to slice your fresh gluten free bread that you have made or bought, one way to assist less crumbling is to put it in the fridge for a day so that the bread becomes firmer. It should be easier to slice after this. This goes particularly for bread with fruit or nuts in it, as these can add to more crumbling. For best results, use a sharp knife preferably .

Make your own pita chips!

Bake Empower tortilla wraps in some olive oil in oven 180 deg for about 10 mins until wraps become crispy. Break wraps into small chip pieces. Sprinkle over grated cheese and herbs or lemon pepper. Bake for another 5 mins until cheese is melted.

Polenta - Select Foods
$4.25
Maize semolina polenta (gluten free). Mix with water and a little salt and cook to a very thick porridge. Can also be fried in oil. Polenta can be used in stuffings, cake and pastry mixes. Packed in a resealable bag.

Lemon Wafer Biscuits - Eskal
$3.60
Plain wafer fingers filled with lemon flavoured cream.

Choculence and Minton - Leda Nutrition
$4.85
These popular chocolate biscuits have had a slight change to the ingredients and are now fructose free!

Mushroom Risotto - Healtheries
$7.95
Unfortunately, the Healtheries Simple Field Mushroom Risotto is no longer being made. We only have a limited supply - buy now while stocks last