The Scoop on GF Flours

Gluten Free (GF) flours are a life saver but they can be very tricky to work with for those living with wheat free and gluten free diets. It really is a good idea to experiment to see what works best for you and what your family prefers. Sometimes a person can develop a love/hate relationship depending on the taste of the flour or the texture it lends to the finished product. Just like any food product and your personal preferences, a GF flour can be your favorite but disliked by some one else.

I'll start with rice flour since it is the most common flour that pops to mind when one thinks of Gluten Free. I have found that I prefer the texture of Sweet White Rice flour versus White Rice flour as I find it less noticeable in the finished product. Regular white rice flour can leave a slight bitter or gritty aftertaste depending on what you have used it in.

Rice flour does not really brown so it is not a good option for coating for "oven-fried" items. Potato flour and chick pea get a beautiful golden brown and toast up nicely so I mix that in to get color if I'm using mostly rice flour in that instance. Brown rice has the most nutritional value and fiber of the rice flours.


I love chick pea flour (also know as garbanzo, or Gram (not Graham!) or Besan in some Middle Eastern or Asian stores, flour) because of its protein and calcium content and I think it has more fiber/nutritional value than rice flour. You can buy it for an economical price in Asian stores or if you buy the brands in the Asian food aisle of the larger, better stocked supermarket. I find though that it can have a strong raw aftertaste if not cooked well or it can overpower the flavor of your baked goods if used in excess - I never use more than 1/2 of total flour ratio needed in a recipe. Toasting the flour in a dry saucepan over low heat can help to remove the "raw" taste but will increase the "nuttiness" factor- just cool before using in your recipe. It fries very well and gives a very crispy coating to chicken fingers, etc but I usually cut it with potato flour. It also makes a delicious fried vegetable dumpling - my favorite version is with spinach (Recipe coming soon but basically you mix the chick pea flour with diced onion & other raw veggies, salt, pepper and egg, using enough water to make a thick batter and then fry to golden deliciousness in hot oil)!


My favorite flour for baking is Sorghum flour. Its taste is light enough that it lends itself to most cookie and cake recipes and has a very nice "crumb" to it in its texture. Other staple flours in my cabinet are Tapioca Flour, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Millet Flour and Cornmeal, Corn Flour and Cornstarch. I have Quinoa Flour but use it sparingly as I find its flavor is very strong.

Tapioca Flour is used more for binding or as a thickening agent, it does not have much nutritional value.

More on flours coming soon! But if you can't wait, check out Barry Farm Foods and read up on the different gluten free flours (and how to use them) available for sale - interesting varieties include black bean flour and plantain flour. They sell small bags for the curious but you can also buy in bulk and save. Their prices appear to be quite reasonable.

If you want a guarantee that your flours are gluten free, check out a popular brand of flours offered by Bob's Red Mill. They test their flours regularly but they are also more expensive. You can find a list of their gluten free products and other helpful information here.

Coconut Milk is Our New Best Friend

I don't know where I have been but I have just discovered coconut milk as a dairy-free alternative. I've used it in recipes before for Thai dishes but it never occurred to me to try it instead of rice milk until I bought coconut milk ice-cream that was unbelievably creamy & delicious. (It was a bit pricey but worth it - coming to the reviews section soon)

Anyhoozer, I have used it in place of milk for baking and it works really well as opposed to rice milk - I think because of it's fat content. You may want to remove the top creamy layer from an opened can of coconut milk if you want to reduce the fat content. We made delicious cherry-coconut chocolate chip cookies that everyone gobbled up, including my picky sister (recipe coming soon).

You can make amazing whipped coconut cream that resembles whip cream - it does have a "coconutty" flavor so it wouldn't work for you if you don't like coconut but the flavor is light enough to not compete with the other flavors in your dish.

We have made our own coconut ice cream after getting an ice cream machine as a gift (those hints finally paid off!) and it was really fun experimenting with the kids. A word of caution - you only need a tiny capful of peppermint oil for 2 quarts of ice cream - and that is if you enjoy a strong mint flavor. The kids ate up the chocolate chip mint ice cream we made regardless of the fact that it nearly made my eyes water!

I am now using it in my quest for creating the perfect pancake. I'll let you know how that turns out - I am halfway there!


There are many brands to choose from but if you have 30 minutes and are in the creative mood, you can make your own coconut milk by following this simple recipe or this detailed Brazilian recipe. Let me know how it turns out and if you think it is cost effective!


Has anyone tried using coconut oil in place of shortening/butter? Which brand do you prefer?

I've used coconut oil once so far in a gingerbread recipe I found on the web (I'll share it as soon as I find my bookmark for it). It is interesting to work with as it is solid at room temperature but melts as soon as you touch it because of your body temperature.


Click here for FREE advertising for your site!

Lowes Coupon How to Blog

Birthday Cake!

Well Jenna turned 4 and LOVED her special day! I solved my birthday cake dilemma by making her Cinderella cake out of marshmallow & rice cereal (recipe coming soon!)

I think it came out cute (except for my spelling mistake - I was soooo tired by the time I finished it!) and more importantly, Jenna loved it and it was enjoyed by ALL. That was key for me because I didn't want Jenna to have to eat something different at her own party and I wanted the other kids to like it too. Made modelling cinderella a piece of "cake" too - pardon the pun but I couldn't resist - because you can mold it around anything :)


We had a Pirate/Princess themed party so she could dress up as a princess and we held the party at a craft store! I didn't know they had a party room until I stopped in for some art supplies at AC Moore. It was great! No running around! All the kids sat at a large table and made a great themed keepsake project to take home. For lunch, I ordered pizza for the kids from the place next door(made it even easier for me!) and I got an extra empty pizzeria box to put in Jenna's gluten/dairy free pizza. When it was time to serve, it looked like she was getting a slice of pizza like everyone else.

What did you do for your child's birthday?

Buy in bulk for the best savings!

If you tend to use a lot of the same ingredients, it is a good idea to research the best suppliers and buy your staples in bulk. Make sure you store them properly and freeze whenever possible to maintain freshness. When I first moved into my own place, my uncle gave me an upright deep freezer as a housewarming gift and I am so thankful every time I use it. It helps me to save money and have ingredients on hand for when I need them. I buy spices, flours, nuts, meat and poultry in bulk; divide into portioned sized freezer bags or containers; label with date and contents and freeze until needed.

Check out this online store for a large selection of goodies:





Barry Farm Foods is a great resource for flours, spices and dry fruits! They are a chemical-free farm and can their own fresh fruits and vegetables, too.