If you’re interested in a great brownies recipe that is also gluten free, here is a good one that I recommend.

Gluten Free Brownies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or as dark as you can stand it)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
3. Chop the chocolate into small slivers.
4. Slice the butter into one-inch pieces.
5. Combine the two flours together.
   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and then turn it down to a simmer.
6. Place a large metal bowl over the top of the saucepan.
7. Put the chocolate and butter into the metal bowl and stir, occasionally, as they both begin to melt.
8. As they come to a full melt, stir and stir, vigorously, until you have a cohesive mixture.
9. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, whisking vigorously until they are creamed together, with a silky consistency.
10. Add the vanilla extract and salt and stir well.
11. Add in the gluten free flour and stir.
12. Finally, pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir, carefully, with a rubber spatula, until the mixture has become smooth.
13. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
14. Smooth the top with the spatula.
15. Slide the baking pan into the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.
16. As the brownies are baking, fill the sink with ice cubes and 1 inch of water.
17. When the brownies are finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it immediately into the ice-water bath. (Don’t let any water splash up onto the brownies!)
18. Let the brownies stay there until they have cooled completely.

[Recipes Courtesy of The Daily Green]

Here is a gluten free and sugar free chocolate cake that people will probably enjoy.

Gluten Free/Sugar Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 1/2 lb semisweet chocolate chunk (for cooking)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 5 egg whites (at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder. (do not tap out excess).
3. Combine melted chocolate and remaining butter.
4. Stir until smooth and combined.
5. In a large bowl combine the chocolate mixture with the almond flour, sour cream, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.
6. Stir until well-blended.
7. With an electric mixture, beat egg whites and salt until stiff glossy peaks form.
8. Add one-quarter of egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten.
9. Gently fold in the remaining whites until no white streaks remain.
10. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
11. Bake for 20 min or until cake has risen and is barely dry on the top.
12. A wooden tooth pick inserted should come out with a lots of moist crumbs.
13. Place cake, still in the pan, on a rack and cool until warm. Cake will fall dramatically.
14. Loosen edges of the cake with a knife and remove the pan sides.

This cake can be combined with the Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse and topped with toasted slivered almonds. Texture should be dense, moist and slightly fudgy.

[Recipe Courtesy of Recipe Zaar]

Most people just buy a pancake mix, but if you are someone who enjoys making their own gluten free recipes from scratch, here is what you’ll need to make your own pancake mix!

Gluten Free Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Gluten Free Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Baking powder

Directions:

1. Place flour in a bowl, use a fork to break any large clumps (you can sift-takes a while) with tsp of baking powder
2. Add milk and egg and whisk well
3. Place in fridge for 20mins
4. Heat large fry pan and add a little butter, med-high temp.
5. Pour in mixture to desired size (about a 1/4 for small ones)
6. Cook until bubbles form over top of pancake or after 2mins, cook another minute on other side.

[Recipe Courtesy of Caths Guide to Cooking]

Finding gluten free breads that also taste good can sometimes be difficult, so I try to feature those here when I find them.  Here is a recipe I ran across for gluten free potato bread.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Potato Bread Recipe

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 2 cups Gourmet Blend flour
• 1/2 cup instant potato flakes
• 3 tbs. non fat dry milk
• 2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tbs. sugar

Wet Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tbs. margarine, melted
• 2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 7/8 cup warm water

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients.
2. Whisk to blend thoroughly.
3. Transfer to gluten free bread machine.
4. Combine and whisk all liquid ingredients.
5. Transfer to machine.

[Recipe Courtesy of YT Recipes]

In order to maintain a completely gluten free diet, it is essential that you do a lot more than just look for gluten in foods.  Did you know that gluten can also be found in all sorts of other things?  Did you know stamps contain gluten?  Certain medicines?

It would be to difficult to compile a complete list of these products, but here are some things you should look for if you are living gluten free:

• Lotions, creams and cosmetics (primarily for those with dermatitis herpetaformis).
• Stamps, envelopes or other gummed labels.
• Toothpaste and mouthwash.
• Some medicines contain gluten.
• Some brands of rice paper.
• Laxatives.

Can you think of any non-food or drink items that contain gluten that I might have missed?  Let me know in the comments below!