The Gluten-Free Homemaker

I love the subtitle of this cookbook:  150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family can Enjoy.  150 is a nice number of recipes for a cookbook.  Easy is always nice.  Gluten free is essential.  Allergy friendly is very helpful.  And pleasing the whole family is always my goal.  So this cookbook interested me, especially after reading the following:

“In this versatile cookbook, gluten-free cooking expert Jules Shepard offers uncompromisingly delicious gluten-free recipes that can also be made free of many major allergen ingredients—dairy, nuts, soy, eggs, and more—to fit your unique dietary requirements.”

Part I of the book covers Ingredients and Substitutions and Baking Notes.  The information on substitutions is key if you are dealing with any food allergies on top of a gluten-free diet.  Jules lists 12 egg substitutes and other helpful tips like getting a nutty texture or taste without nuts. 

Having recently gone dairy free, I was a little disappointed in some of the recipes.   I’m fine with substituting the basic dairy ingredients of milk and butter.  But if a recipe includes yogurt, sour cream, half-and-half, or cream cheese, I do not consider it to be dairy-free friendly.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of recipes in this book without those ingredients.  But several of the recipes I was interested in did have such ingredients, and I  didn’t want to go buy special items to make them.  You won’t be disappointed if you just keep in mind that this book is trying to cover many major allergens, and some recipes are more friendly than others depending on which allergens you are trying to avoid.

There is one thing I thought I would not like about this cookbook and that is the fact that it uses Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.  I have never tried this flour mix because I do not care for its ingredients.  Other than corn flour it does not contain any whole grain flour.  I have brought up this issue with other cookbooks I have reviewed.  I’m not saying that I always use whole grain flours.  There are times, particularly with desserts, when I use a “white flour” mix.  However, I prefer to use whole grains as much as I can, and I like cookbooks that use them also.  In addition, I do not like being dependent on expensive flour mixes, especially since I mill many of my own flours.

Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Jules provides a homemade flour mix recipe with many options including the use of whole grain flours such as buckwheat, sorghum, millet, and brown rice.

I followed her flour mix recipe and used whole grains to make her apple cranberry cobbler, and it turned out great!  The whole family did enjoy it.

The Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive a copy of this cookbook.  To enter you must be a U.S. or Canadian resident, and you must leave a comment on this post.  Leave a separate comment for each entry.  Please make sure I have a way to contact you.  Up to four entries per person:

• Tell me if you have tried Jules Gluten Free Flour Mix and how you like it.
• Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email (or tell me you already do)
• Like me on Facebook (or tell me you already do)
• Follow me on Twitter (or tell me you already do)

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, December 15th at 11:00 p.m. eastern time.  After the winner is contacted, I  will announce the winner on my Facebook page.

Disclaimer:  I was sent a free copy of this cookbook.  The opinions in this post are my own.

Labels: giveaway