Bitterroot Gluten Free Bakery

Missoula has an option for yummy looking gluten free bread, sourdough pretzels, and other delicious looking baked goods through the Bitterroot Gluten Free Bakery. Hannah sells these treats at the Clark Fork River Saturday Market in Missoula. The Saturday Market runs from April 30th-September 22nd open from 8am-1pm. Check out her booth once the market is up and running again.

Sneaky Gluten Containing Items

Hubby picked up a new multivitamin a few weeks ago and of course he read the ingredients to make sure it was OK. A couple weeks later I read the ingredients out of curiosity/boredom/being nosy? Maybe a bit of all. I noticed one of the ingredients was barley grass which popped up a big red flag for me, of course. A quick search online didn't give me any definitive answers. Some things said it should be OK since it's technically the grain that contains the gluten while others said unless it states gluten free to avoid it. So I used the last of my EZ Gluten tests and sure enough, positive for gluten. At least we now knew why Hubby had been feeling so tired lately. I've read before that wheat grass is safe but after this it's for sure in my avoid at all costs category.



Another sneaky gluten containing ingredient can be millet. Of course it's a naturally gluten free grain but according to an article in the September Gluten-Free Living magazine millet flour was found to have high (in the 300 ppm range) levels of gluten in packages that were not labeled gluten free. They believe this may be due to cross contamination from crop rotation of millet with winter wheat. So if you use millet flour be sure it states gluten free on the packaging.

More Bozeman Gluten Free Options

Bozeman has more options for gluten free pizza crust and bread. It feels like such a boom and I'm a tad bit excited about it all.

First off is Audrey's Pizza Oven which now offers gluten free crust. It's not listed on the online menu yet but Nicole saw a sign in their window and I gave them a call. The crust comes prepackaged on a metal tray so it doesn't touch any surfaces. They also said they use clean utensils so it should be safe.

Great Harvest Bread Company now makes gluten free bread. I don't know what the availability and variety are like. Please note on their web page they state gluten "free" (that can scare a person a bit) and give the warning "Please note that we are a whole wheat bakery, therefore; this product is not recommended for customers with the serious autoimmune disorder, Celiac Disease, as it may contain trace amounts of whole wheat flour". This could be a legal cover their rear thing but it's something to be cautious about. If you do want to give them a try they make the bread on Tuesdays.

Last we have the Homepage Cafe that offers gluten free bread for their sandwiches.

If you have concerns about cross contamination, etc. please be sure to check with them at the time to see what their practices are. And if you happen to indulge at any of these places let me know how it goes.

Gluten Free Restaurant Updates

I was looking at webpages for a couple local gluten free restaurants and wanted to share some updated information with everyone.

Vera Fare makes cutsom gluten free cakes and baked goods. This would be a great option for and GF birthday's that need cake.

Sola Cafe now has an online gluten free menu. They also offer gluten free cakes for order and when they make pasta soup you can get it GF because they leave the pasta on the side.

Nicole's Divine Crackers - Gluten Free & Dairy Free

A couple weekends ago my friend Nicole introduced me to these new crackers available at Rosauer's. It's just coincidence she shares the same name as the crackers :) They were so good I had to pick up a couple boxes for myself. When I had them at Nicole's they reminded me of the crackers I had from Olivelle and when I saw one of the varieties was Cranberry Pepper it peaked my interest.

I first opened the Tomato Tomahto box and it has a tangy tomato kick so be sure you like tomato's for this one. I then opened the Cranberry Pepper box and I would bet money that they're the same crackers from Olivelle. They looked and tasted identical, I think they were just repackaged meaning an Olivelle sticker was put on the inner packaging. So I need to correct myself in stating/thinking the Olivelle crackers were made there, I'm pretty sure they were not.

Onto the review of Nicole's Divine Crackers, they are fabulous. They aren't seedy like some GF crackers so they're a more attractive option for Hubby, he's not a fan of the seedy crackers. You can find them in the cracker aisle in Rosauer's Huckleberry Market.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Sugar Cookie Cutouts

To celebrate Valentine's Day I opted for some sugar cookie cutouts and since my life is so exciting I spent Saturday night decorating them. As Hubby said what else would I be doing. He had a good point.

I topped these with a thin layer of my creamy white frosting and decorated them with what I had on hand. Since they're going to day care with the kids I figured I better make them look good. I thought they would be really sweet but they're not, it was a perfect crisp cookie that doesn't over do it on the taste buds.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1/3 C DF margarine (butter works if you can have it)

1/3 C shortening

3/4 C granulated sugar

1 t baking powder

Dash of salt

1 egg

1 t vanilla

2 C GF flour, I used Gluten Free Mama's Almond Blend

1 t xanthan gum

Preheat your oven to 375 F.

Beat the margarine and shortening until combined then add the sugar, baking powder and salt. Once this is combined beat in the egg and vanilla then add the flour and xanthan gum. This dough was really dry and I had to knead it a bit with my hands to get it to come together. If the dough isn't easy to handle you can chill it for a few hours, I didn't have any problems working with it right away.

Take half of the dough and roll it out to about an 1/8" thick on a lightly floured surface. Use your desired cookie cutter and cut out shapes then place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or just until the edges set and the bottoms are lightly browned. I got about 46 cookies out of this.

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies - Review

I swung by Rosauer's Huckleberry Market on my way home and spotted some new items. I'm usually disappointed with the gluten free cookies I buy off the shelf but I figured I'll give these a try and see what I think.

When I ate my first cookie it reminded me of Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies. They are chewy and soft and delicious! I was so happy and surprised so I had a second cookie. Give these a try and if you do check out the Enjoy Life web page for a coupon.

More Gluten Free Pizza in Billings

Billings has a new gluten free pizza option and I can't wait to try it. I've heard great things about their non-gluten free pizza and am excited to give them a try.

Sam & Louie's New York Style Pizzeria has a gluten free menu offering salads, specialty and make your own pizzas. They are located at 1595 Grand Avenue in the West Park Plaza Mall and you can contact them at 406-281-8333.

If you've enjoyed their GF pizza please let me know what you think.

Gingersnaps

We had some get togethers this past weekend where I was responsible for the dessert and I opted for gingersnaps. I actually made gingersnap sandwich cookies but I don't have a picture of the final product. I wasn't sure if I was happy with it or not but after they sat in the refrigerator overnight I decided I was happy with them.

These are easy and taste delicious, as Nicole (a fellow Gluten Freer) stated they taste like real cookies, score! I flattened the cookies with a fork making a cross-wise pattern. This will result in a flat cookie perfect for making cookie sandwiches. If you like your cookies to be chewier and thick (like I usually do) don't flatten them with a fork before baking.

Gingersnaps - Gluten free/Dairy free

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook

2 1/4 C GF flour - I used Gluten Free Mama's

1 t xanthan gum

1 C packed brown sugar

3/4 C shortening

1/4 C molasses

2 eggs

4 pieces sugared ginger, chopped

1 t baking soda

1 t ground ginger

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground cloves

1/4 C granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a mixing bowl combine 1/2 of the flour, xanthan gum, brown sugar, shortening, molasses, egg, sugared ginger, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until combined. Add the remaining flour and stir until thoroughly combined.

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls then roll in the granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set.

You can stop here and enjoy the cookies as they are or you can make a vanilla filling to make gingersnap cookie sandwiches.

Vanilla filling

1/2 C shortening or Earth Balance (you can use butter here if dairy isn't an issue)

1 3/4 C powdered sugar

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out of it

1 T rice milk, or your favorite milk or milk substitute

Whip the shortening or butter in a mixer until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and the vanilla bean seeds mixing well. Add the milk again mixing well. Add the remaining powdered sugar mixing until thoroughly combined and if needed you can add more milk to get your desired consistency.

Spread filling onto the bottom of one cookie then sandwich it with another cookie of the same size. Store in the refrigerator until they are ready to be served, I prefer them at room temp so I'd set them out for 30 minutes or more before eating.

Cheesy Mustard Cauliflower

There is a dish I have loved since I was a little girl. My mom would make it with special meals and it's definately a comfort food for me. Thankfully with the internet I easily found the dish and got to enjoy it this past weekend. To heck with everything else I cooked this was the golden dish.

Cheesy Mustard Cauliflower

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 T spicy mustard

3/4 C cheese, Daiya worked great for dairy free

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Steam the cauliflower until fork tender.

Mix the mayonnaise and mustard together then toss with the steamed cauliflower. Place in a baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. I love this straight out of the oven and even leftover from the fridge, I can't get enough of this dish.

Pretzel Crusted Tilapia

My family really likes tilapia, well my boy isn't as sold on it as the rest of us but he still eats it. It's such an easy fish to prepare and I wanted to try something different so I was really excited when I found this recipe. It went over well with the family and other than it being a little salty in spots from the pretzels it was perfect. It's also an easy dish to whip together, another plus on weeknights for me.

Pretzel Crusted Tilapia

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

4-6 Tilapia fillets

8 oz gluten free pretzels

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/4 C spicy mustard

Preheat oven to 425 F and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Crush the pretzels in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin until no large pieces remain. Mix together the mayonnaise and mustard.

Baste one side of a fillet with the mayo mixture then place that side down onto the crushed pretzels. Press down a bit to make sure the entire side is covered with pretzels. Baste the side up with the mayo mixture then turn it over onto the pretzels to cover this side. Don't be stingy with the mayo mixture. Place the covered fillet on the cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining fillets.

Lightly spray the fillets with cooking spray and bake for 20-25 minutes until the thickest part of the fish flakes easily. Tilapia is a forgiving fish that will tolerate a little bit of over baking in case you're uncertain about fish. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Bacon Potato Soup

Now that the weather has dropped back down to the expected temps for this time of year I was in the mood for soup and potato is what caught my eye. This recipe was easy to throw together and tasted delicious, plus it was dairy free. Just look at my girl eating this up, she went for two bowls she liked it so much.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Bacon Potato Soup

Adapted from AllRecipes

1 package of bacon

1/2 chopped onion

1 C chopped carrots

2 celery stalks

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 C GF chicken broth

4 C potatoes, cubed

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1/2 C DF cheese, I used Daiya

Salt to taste

In a dutch oven or saucepan cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the bacon grease and saute until the onion is soft.

Add the chicken broth, potatoes, and pepper. Bring to a boil and scrape up the bits of brown from the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the cheese and heat until melted but not to boiling. Chop the bacon and add to the soup then season with additional salt if needed.

We served some beer bread along side and it was the perfect meal for a cold day.

Daiya Cheese now in Bozeman

Daiya cheese is now available locally at the Coop. If you're dairy free and haven't had a chance to try it be sure to pick some up. I think flavor wise and texture wise it's the best option out there.

To see where Daiya cheese is sold check out this product locator.

Gluten Free Microbrew at Neptune's Brewery

Neptune's Brewery has a gluten free beer called Liberty Call available on tap. We picked up a growler and were really impressed with it. It has a sweet smooth start with a hit of hops at the end. I'm not a big fan of hoppy beers but it's a nice touch in this beer. It is a different taste than most GF beers and we welcomed the change. Keep up the great work Neptunes!

You can get growlers at the Brewery in Livingston or at the Dock located at 806 Nth 7th Ave in Bozeman. Bottoms up!