Cooking Gluten-Free

May 8 12

Cooking Gluten Free chef Tom Douglas awarded James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur

by Karen

Tom and Jackie

In my continuing Chef Series where we look at the chefs who contributed to the book Cooking Gluten Free!….. long before most people even knew what celiac disease or gluten intolerance meant…..I have the opportunity today to let someone else tell the story.

Today’s Seattle Times front page headline story features Tom Douglas for his James Beard award last night as Outstanding Restaurateur. He is well deserving of this award. Not only has he enjoyed longevity and expansion in this market, he is highly respected. I think his respect (and that of his wife Jackie too) has been earned by giving back so much to our community. Not just in charitable efforts but just think of all of the people who have worked for them and have gone on to open successful restaurants of their own. I have a friend whose daughter’s fiancé worked for Tom as a bread baker. He was paid well, he perfected his baking while working for Tom and then felt confident enough to strike out on his own. I hear his bakery is doing quite well with a solid reputation. He is even interested in baking gluten free but hasn’t worked out all the kinks there yet.

My guess is this story plays out over and over again, year after year. Thank you Tom and Jackie, you have helped numerous people on their road to success. Tom was one of the original chefs contributing recipes to Cooking Gluten Free! which in turn helped me talk to other chefs about contributions. The recipes are timeless—-good food never goes out of style.

If you live in the Seattle area you will find one of Tom’s restaurants in several hot spots around town: Pike Place Market, South Lake Union, and just south of the core retail district in downtown.

They know how to serve gluten free and are happy to accomodate your requests.

I love this picture of Tom from the cover of one of his books…..and it visually shows his impact on the Seattle food scene!

Apr 29 12

Recipes from Lark, John Sundstrom

by Karen

There is a new model for book publishing that I find interesting—could this be the wave of the future?

Could this be something that allows printed books to remain viable? read more…

Apr 18 12

New Photo Gallery Cooking Gluten Free!

by Karen

What’s for dinner?

How about dessert?

Now on this site you can click onto a sidebar photo and go quickly to a post.
Just scroll down a bit and look to the right, click on any photo to find out more about the recipe…..

There are a lot of gluten free recipes available online today so it can be tough to choose how to spend your time and money. Hopefully this new feature helps you find gluten free food to improve your life. All photos are of food cooked daily in my kitchen (well I am not always energetic enough to do it everyday…). You can rest assured that your cooking efforts will be rewarded with satisfaction.

Apr 11 12

Charlie Trotter–Chef Series

by Karen

I have had this in my to-do pile for quite some time…..

…..but today is the day to post it….I was inspired by a somewhat negative article in the New York Times.

Within the past year or so, I began revisiting the various chefs who were way ahead of the gluten free curve back in 2000 when the timeless recipes of my book were compiled. Each chef generously scaled down a recipe or two from their restaurant and contributed to Cooking Gluten-Free! long before gluten free was a top trend.

Last year gluten free was the #1 restaurant trend, many chefs have thankfully joined the bandwagon providing gluten free food. I am so grateful for that but I also want to celebrate those pioneering chefs who have been there all along. read more…

Apr 6 12

Love Trader Joe’s #2

by Karen

Shopping for milk I discovered a new cookie! read more…

Apr 5 12

Love Trader Joe’s #1

by Karen

I am happy to have found a few new items in Trader Joe’s recently.

Last year I revisited Suzanne Goin –she is a contributing chef to my book Cooking Gluten-Free!, a talented chef, and the source of one of our favorite meals: grilled halibut with herb salad and meyer lemon green olive salsa. read more…

Apr 4 12

Chewy, Crackled Brownies with Raspberry Pureé

by Karen

gluten free chewy, crackled top brownies

We are rallying again with other gluten free food bloggers from around the world.
Our topic this month: Brownies.

Intensely chocolate, chewy and crackle-topped brownies. What is your favorite style? read more…

Apr 1 12

Brussels Sprouts Salad from Le Grand Orange, Pasadena

by Karen

Amazing Brussels Sprouts Salad

I know you are skeptical.

I was too. read more…

Mar 27 12

The Hunter Gatherer Seeks Mate

by Karen

My daughter shared this link with me as she is the perfect match for this guy–at least according to him……it’s pretty funny!

Mar 7 12

Gluten Free Crêpes Savory or Sweet

by Karen

If you are looking for a quick evening meal you should add crêpes into your weekly line-up. I had forgotten about these little gems until it became our theme for the Gluten Free Ratio Rally this month. A group of gluten free bloggers work on recipes by ratio and share their results each month. Here is a link to learn more about the origins of our project.

The beauty of a crêpe is the versatility it offers—a crêpe can be your main course, dessert, or even breakfast. You don’t need any special equipment —a non-stick skillet and a spatula do the job nicely. read more…