One of the dishes we prepared for the family feast was Cole Slaw. This will be the subject of today’s post.

Background:
Did you know that Coleslaw (or Cole Slaw) is believed to have been consumed since early Roman times? (…..I guess you’d expect as much, seeing that cabbages have been around a long time ).

The version with a creamy dressing, or mayonnaise, would not have been developed till the 18th century, as mayonnaise was not invented till then.

It’s name arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch term “koolsalade” or “cabbage salad”. “Cole” in Latin originates from “colis”, meaning cabbage. Cabbages also have many healing properties some of which particular affect the digestive function, including the colon. Interesting eh!?

Coleslaw Basics:
When you consider that basic cole slaw is not much more than shredded cabbage, you can see that you don’t have to be too imaginative to create something that fits the bill.

Our recipe contains cabbage, carrots and onion enriched with a creamy dressing. Other variations can include such ingredients such as apple, celery, pineapple, dill weed, fennel, beetroot radishes, caraway seed, lemon juice, sultanas, raisins and more.

Uses:
Most occasions call for Cole Slaw as a side dish. It goes great with meat dishes, fish or fried foods. 

Our Recipe:

1/4 large Cabbage Head – grated, shredded or sliced.
Note - Depending on your taste (and chewing ability) process your cabbage fine or coarse. Up to you. Including the purple cabbage also gives a great splash of contrasting color.
2 Carrots – medium size – grated, shredded or sliced
1 Red Onion – small – diced fine

Dressing:
1/2 Cup – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp – Dijon Mustard (Gluten free) – we used the Edan brand, Organic Brown Mustard
3 T – Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T – Celery Seed
1/4 tsp – Celtic Sea Salt
3/4 cup – Cultured Cream, Sour Cream or Yoghurt (thick) – helps to bind the veggies
Vinegar and Salt to taste.
Parsley for garnish

METHOD

1. Mix 2T vinegar, the mustard, celery seeds and sea salt in a bowl
2. Add the Olive Oil to the mix in a thin stream while whisking until the oil is well mixed or emulsified.
3. Add the cream and mix until smooth.
4. Combine with the vegetables and mix well
5. Taste test and add the remainder of the Vinegar, more salt etc. if needed. 

Serving Suggestions:
This dish can be served immediately, but we have found it best to let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge (or overnight). Then give it a quick stir, garnish and serve.

Minor Cautions:
Mustard Paste – Most commercial mustard pastes are usually prepared with vinegar and spices. Sometimes other starch-based ingredients are added to help bind and thicken the mix. So always read the label and be aware.

Cabbage – has some wonderful beneficial properties, including anti-carcinogenic ones. It is good to be aware though, that cabbage (along with other cruciferous vegetables eg kale, broccoli, collards and brussels sprouts)  also contain goitrogens. So if you have any thyroid issues you may want to investigate further.

Here is a great resource to find out more about this magnificent vegetable. (NOTE – there are ways of preparing these vegetables to minimize these goitrogenic properties. We’ll cover that at a later date.).

Our Other Resources:
You may wish to check out our other blog www.SupportForHealthyLiving.com which is steadily growing with information about more general health-related topics. Although not focusing on the gluten free theme, it non-the-less, contains valuable information pertinent to everyone.

Till next year, be safe and enjoy your New Year celebrations.

To your continued Good Health and Gluten Freedom.
Cheers, Sven

I hope that your Thanksgiving was as much a pleasure for you as it was for our family.

Of course, here in Australia, very few celebrate this day like our US counterparts. Our family is a bit different in that we have more of a US influence now and so we enjoy the “full deal” for Thanksgiving. There are only a few of us that have such a strong interest in gluten free foods though.

Here is a wonderful gluten free Waldorf Salad recipe that I wanted to share with you. It is a very special recipe and proved very popular at our family gathering.

As you probably already know, mayonnaise is a key ingredient in a Waldorf Salad. We didn’t just crack open a jar of gluten free mayo and slap it on, though. We made it from scratch …… not that this is such a big deal .

Gluten Free Mayo From Scratch
I wanted to highlight the idea of making the mayonnaise from scratch for two reasons.

1. You can ensure all ingredients are gluten free and
2. because this method (optional step) serves to demonstrate some interesting fermentation principles (using a live culture, goat or cow whey). This not only promotes health but also helps to preserve the mayo itself.

Mayonnaise Ingredients:
(These quantities makes more than you’ll need for the salad – handy to save some for later)

5 egg yolks – Free Range, organic preferred (freeze the egg whites for later use)
4 Tbls fresh lemon Juice
1 Tbls prepared (gluten free) mustard
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup Sunflower Oil
2 cups Coconut Oil
Optional 2 Tbls goat or cow whey *  (See Note Below) By adding the live cultured whey, it will help to naturally preserve the salad as well as the mayonnaise. The good bacteria in the whey will help to preserve and extend the life of the refrigerated mayonnaise up to as much as several months. Without the whey, the mayonnaise should last 2 weeks refrigerated.

Method:

Step 1. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.

Step 2. Combine all ingredients, except the oils, into a food processor (a blender is OK too).

Step 3. Blend for about a minute, then, with the machine still running, VERY slowly add the oils. It is important that only a tiny stream of oil enters the mix at any one time (a secret of making mayonnaise).

Step 4. Optional Step – If you have included the live culture whey, then leave the mix at room temperature for 6 – 8 hours before refrigerating.

The Salad: (Makes about 15 serves)

Celery – approx 5 cups diced (a full large head of celery)
6 Red Delicious Apples – diced and dipped in lemon juice to prevent browning.
2 Cups Fresh Walnuts (chopped) – you can substitute pecans
TIP: Depending on your supplier, Walnuts and Pecans are often rancid due to the fragile oils in them. Sample them first before purchase if you can.

 OPTIONAL STEP – For reasons of better digestibility and taste, soak the nuts 2 – 7 hours in a mild salt water solution prior to chopping .

Finishing Touches:
Save some walnut halves, celery and apple for the final decoration. Once the mayo is added, the salad has a creamy look to it, so these fresh, contrasting, decoration pieces add to the final, visual appeal to the dish.

Suggestion: – As a variation for a different visual presentation, you can “Julienne” (i.e. cut into long thin strips) the apple and celery.

* NOTE – If you do not have access to quality, raw milk products to ferment your own whey, you can obtain the whey you need for this recipe by purchasing a good quality, natural yoghurt with live cultures. If you place a portion of this in a clean cotton cloth and let it hang, the whey will drip into a bowl below. What remains can be used for spreads and dips.

Probably nothing can seem as daunting to the new gluten free cook as gluten free baking.

Let me say, firstly, that you can lay any apprehension aside about this subject, because the hard work has already been done for you.

Gluten Free Baking Today.
Not only are commercially-baked gluten free breads more widely accessible today, but virtually the entire range of other baked gluten free products has expanded as well. Products like pizza crust, cakes, muffins, cookies, biscuits, pies etc are now relatively easy to find in most places.

What Is Used To Replace The Gluten?
The big challenge with Gluten Free Baking, of course, is how to mimic the function of the gluten in regular bread with gluten free ingredients. After all, most people want to get a result as close to the look, feel and taste of the regular breads and pastries they loved so much in earlier days. Right?

It’s amazing what a need, desire and creativity can bring about. Because of the increasing demand of the ever-growing celiac community, hundreds of commercial and domestic experimenters eventually came up with the “goods” (saving you all the hard work).

Xanthan Gum
Xanthan Gum was developed in the early 1960’s and is used widely in a number of industries as a thickener. It’s production involves a fermentation process and corn syrup. In the food industry it is used in everything from salad dressings to bread mixes. 

It is good to keep in mind though, that some people are allergic to Xanthan Gum (symptoms can include intestinal gripes, diarrhea, headaches and temporary high blood pressure).  

Guar Gum
Guar Gum is made from the endosperm of guar beans. It works similarly to Xanthan Gum and can be used as a less expensive substitute when needed. It too can have a laxative effect.

How Much To Use?
Generally you can easily substitute one gum for the other, however I’d recommend using a little bit more Guar Gum if you are substituting form Xanthan. Even up to as much as 50% more or so.

Most people feel that the Xanthan Gum gives a better result for making breads (you’ll find it widely used in gluten free bread mixes), whereas the Guar Gum results in spongier, cake-like texture

The amount of the gums used depends on the type of recipe. Generally you’d use more for a pizza crust (like 2 teaspoons), less for breads (say 1 tsp) and least amount for your other baked goods such as cakes, cookies and muffins.

Sourdough Gluten Free Breads.
When we began our natural foods store in the early 90’s in Brisbane, the availability of commercial gluten free breads was still in its infancy. The population at the time was around 1 – 1.5 million and I recall only two small specialist bakeries producing Gluten Free breads (we were luckier than most).

Till next time…..
To you health and Gluten Freedom
Sven

 Here is a question for you.

What is one thing that land surveying
and gluten free baking have in common?

Answer: Both involve some form of precise measurement.

You can always measure things by what I call “guess-timation” (i.e. estimating distance, time, weight, temperature etc.). If you are good at it, you know that it can be very handy at times. It definitely has its place.

However, whether you are surveying a property, or baking gluten free bread, you want the end result to come out right. You want to have consistency and repeatability. Right?

In order to do this, accurate measuring devices are a must. In the kitchen, one such device that we recommend investing in, is an oven thermometer.

“But my oven already has a thermometer built into it.
Why do I need to get another one?”
I hear you say.

Well, you might be surprised to know that the temperature inside the oven is not necessarily what you set the dial at. Even up to as much as 15 – 25 ºF. What’s more, unless you have a convection oven, the temperature on each of the racks differs as well.

This kind of temperature variance can make a huge difference to the quality of the finished product. This is especially true in working with gluten free ingredients. 

Have you ever followed a recipe,
measured the ingredients perfectly,
yet you ended up with a
less-than-desirable result? 

You know how demoralizing this can be, especially when you are first starting out in gluten free baking. Well here’s a way to help increase the chances of your getting the results you expect.

Getting To Know Your Oven:
The simple solution to the problem, just mentioned, is to get to know your oven and find out what’s REALLY going on in there, after you set the dial to a specific temperature.

To do that, you’ll need to get hold of a good oven thermometer. Prices range from just a few dollars to well over $50 for fancy digital models.

These are available at any kitchen supply center or department store. Places like Tandy and Dick Smith’s Electronics have good digital ones. Here is a link to Oven Thermometers at the AMAZON Online Store where there are so many varieties it’ll make your head spin.

When you make your selection, bear in mind that you want it to be easy to read through your oven window. You don’t want to be opening the oven door every time you want to check the temperature during an important bake.

I’ve included images (above) of two of the ones we’ve used for years (for reference). When we had our gluten free baking business we mainly used a quality digital readout that mounted outside the oven and connected to a probe temperature sensor inside the oven via a thin wire fed thru the door seal.

Remember, the cheaper the thermometer, the less likely you’ll get an accurate reading.

Calibrating Your Oven:
Now that you have your thermometer you can start the process to calibrate your oven. Here’s a short 2 1/2  min video outlining what you’ll need to do. He even mentions the little known adjustment you can make to the control dial on most modern ovens.

Testing Your Thermometer:
Before I begin with this section Karen has reminded me, that some people reading this may not be technically-minded and that all this may sound like too much trouble. If you fit this category may I suggest your seeking assistance from friends or family (or read our upcoming post). So, stay with me, and see what you think.

The accuracy of the above procedure depends entirely on the accuracy of the thermometer that you are using (that’s why it is good to shop for quality rather than just price).

One way to test the accuracy of the thermometer, is to measure the temperature of boiling water where you are. This is easiest to do with a probe-type thermometer. 

The temperature of boiling water is a standard 212ºF. (100ºC.) at standard pressure. As elevation increases, pressure decreases and boiling point changes. For example, at 5,000 feet (1,500m) the boiling point of water is about 203ºF. At 10,000 feet (3,050m) it is approx 194ºF.

So you can see, you need to take this into consideration if you are to use the temperature of boiling water to check your thermometer. Having said that, it is probably good enough to say that if you live below 3,000 feet (914 meters) then just assume 212ºF. (100ºC.).

If you or a family member feels adventurous, here is a helpful link to explore Boiling Point further.  

IDEA: This could be a great
science project to assign to your kids.

Assignment = To calibrate mom’s oven standardized according to the boiling temperature of water at local barometric pressure.

Temperature Difference on Each Shelf:
Another suggestion is to use your thermometer to check the temperature variance of the different shelves in your oven. You can use this to your advantage, if you are aware of the differences and the amount.

Summary:

1. Predictable and consistent baking results depend on accurate temperature control.
2. Oven temperature often is different from what the dial is set at.
3. Acquire a good quality oven thermometer.
4. Confirm that the oven thermometer is accurate.
5. Calibrate oven and make adjustments (if your oven has this feature).
6. After completing this process, bake with the renewed confidence that you know exactly what your oven is doing when you set the dial at a particular temperature.

Your oven is a tool like any other. The more you become familiar with it, the more it then becomes an extension of you, your desires and intent. I hope you’ll take the time to go through this calibration process.

I would love to hear any comments you may have about your baking victories or tribulations. Feel free to make a comment here.

To your continued Health and Gluten Freedom.
Cheers, Sven