Reading this book took me some time. With Max, who doesn't have even a 15 min nap during the day, it wasn't easy. Of course he wanted to read it too!Thanks a million (as the Irish folks say) Shauna! I found your absolutely fantastic website just by chance, googling for: "gluten free kid Ireland". It was the last step before starting our blog, you just encouraged us! I'm so happy about having your book and the possibility of reading about your exciting life (not to mention the recipies).
My childhood in Poland (seventies) was completely different. My mother cooked the majority of meals from scratch. I had a warm soup every day, always the seasonal vegetables and fruits. I used to spend my summer holidays on my grandmother's farm, being in a deep contact with nature.
Then came the eighties, which meant the martial law and economic crisis in Poland. Empty shops, people queueing for everything, but I was lucky having the family in the countryside. They always had fresh milk, eggs, poultry, potatoes etc. You can't imagine how creative people were at that time, whether in cooking or thrifting.
With the nineties and the economic progress, there began the consumption in the Western style. Supermarkets slowly pushed out the small shops and even our mothers became their loyal customers (how sad).On the other hand the farmers markets are still popular and it is getting easier to buy organic products every year.
Back to the book with that wonderful energetic cover. It's about a passion for life and also an amazing real love story, I haven't read about for a long time. Shauna, you are like a delicious strawberry-rhubarb muffin in the middle of summer :-) :-) Thanks a million once more!
And below the recipe for muffins, unfortunatelly this year without strawberries (because of Max's allergy test results*).
We don't have much experience in the gluten free baking (frankly speaking almost in any baking). Up to now Max's diet consisted mostly of the cooked meals.
The first GF muffins were a challenge for me. I found this recipe (thank you Christan) which we tested succesfully several times, playing with ingredients and proportions.
Rhubarb muffins (makes 12):
Dry ingredients:
- 1/2 cup organic sugar
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup corn flour or millet flour (you can ground millet flakes in a coffee grinder)
- 1/4 cup potato flour
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 free range eggs
- 3/4 cup coconut milk or any other which you could use in your diet or just cold water
- you can add desiccated coconut which was left after making the milk
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- some vanilla (I use a stick)
First blend wet ingredients well, then mix slowly with dry ones and add chopped rhubarb.
These muffins don't grow as much as the "normal" ones so you can fill the muffins tins about 3/4 full.
As you probably noticed there is no xanthan gum or other modifiers!
Play with this recipe and enjoy the results!
*) This winter Max was tested and that's why we know that strawberries, peaches and birch pollen are allergens for him. He should avoid them.
Mom
