It was a pleasure talking with you today about my book. From Oct 5th to Oct 12th you can get 30% off my cookbook in hardcover of eBook form online on BookBaby with the promo code: 30OSHAWA.

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Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy of Life After Gluten Vol. 1: Breakfasts and Desserts. It was a long journey to get this first book to print to stores and then finally into your hands. This journey could not have been completed without the special people who tested my recipes for me. Your feedback was invaluable!

The clock is now ticking to publish Volume 2: Breads & Savoury Baking. This edition will feature the whole gambit of gluten-free breads from scones to tortilla to sandwich loaves; street food like empanadas; savoury snacks such as red pepper danishes; and full on meals such as dairy free mac n' cheese and beef Wellington.

But I need your help! Just like my first book every recipe needs to be tested by one or more third parties to ensure what's on the page is what's your salivating over.

Every feedback contributor will received my sincere thanks in print in Life A.G. Vol. 2.

For every recipe you test for free and submit written feedback for you'll receive a chance to win a FREE COPY of Life A.G. Vol. 2 upon publication.

Click the link: forms.gle/VpTGuPhcWkDn1KaD7 and fill out the form to start testing recipes.

Spring brings images to mind mud, liter and rain or if you're like me budding leaves, returning birds and a risen Savior. Honestly, Spring makes me excited and for this reason I am extending limited time 40% off Easter sale until March 30th, 2024 of my Life A.G. Vol. 1 cookbook exclusively on BookBaby.

This "Easter40" promo code applies to the eBook and Hardcover book.

Life After Gluten (A.G.): Vol 1. Breakfasts & Desserts is a 220-page cookbook. Which includes +100 gluten-free recipes, dozens of dairy-free, diabetic & vegan recipes. Such as Almond waffles, Date-walnut cake, Crepes with lemon cottage cheese, Ultimate Chocolate Cake, Vegan blueberry muffins, Strawberry shortcake, Chocolate chip cookies, Keto Nanaimo bars and more!

MESSAGE FOR THE GLUTEN-FREE SKEPTIC: I am not going to make any grandiose claims about these finally being gluten-free recipes that taste just like gluten. However, I will give you my word that no cardboard was harmed in the making of these recipes. Don't believe me? Well, take a gander at some of these recipes and let the pictures speak for themselves. Yours truly, Tamara Green

A MESSAGE FOR THE GLUTEN-FREE NOVICE: Whether you are a seasoned homecook, or a newbie, beginning to bake gluten-free can be like learning a whole new branch of cooking. Some concepts, like beating an egg until frothy transfer word for word; others like kneading bread require a new technique. From the first section "How to Cook With This Book" to the last appendix "Ingredient Substitutions" I have included helpful gluten-free (g.f.) specific baking advice and comments on a g.f. lifestyle, such as "Can Gluten Cross Contamination be Avoided in the Home Kitchen" or "Dining Out: Tips for Safely Staying Gluten-Free." I hope you find all of these helpful and the recipes as delightful as my taste buds say they are. Yours truly, Tamara Green

Tamara Green, is a Canadian food blogger, recipe developer and highest ranking graduate from Durham College's Culinary Management program (2017) and Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts, post-graduate certificate (2018). For years she has been devoted to making gluten-free living convenient, tasty and extravagant. Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Ms. Green's creative pursuits extend beyond the culinary realm. Alongside her culinary expertise, she dabbles in the art of voice acting and screenwriting, showcasing her multifaceted talents. For a glimpse into Tamara's culinary world, visit her website at lifeaftergluten.weebly.com or follow her on Instagram @lifeaftergluten_cookbook. Discover the art of gluten-free cooking and embark on a flavorful journey with Tamara Green.

I suggest preparing your flour mixes in large quantities ahead of time and storing them in air-tight containers, so that when you are in the flow of a recipe it’s as simple as measuring one flour mix and not its individual components.

As always, I recommend combining each mix in a food processor for two excellent reasons.

First reason: Is to better refine your flours, making them lighter and giving your baked good more lift.

Second reason: Is to thoroughly combine the flours, assuring that each time you scoop, you are scooping up the same precise formula of flours. On this note, I highly recommend stirring or shaking up your bin (only after it is thoroughly and completely sealed) once a week to prevent settling.

MAKES: 1 kilogram/8 cups

ingredients
600 grams/4 1/2 cups  arrowroot starch/flour
330 grams/3 cups  oat flour, certified gluten-free
70 grams/6 tbsp  psyllium husk powder

method
Combining each mix in a food processor or mix with a wire whisk, if in a rush.

sponge
200 grams/3/4 cup + 1 tbsp  milk, warm
150 grams/1 1/4 cups  gf bread flour mix (see here)
6 grams/1 1/2 tsp quick rise yeast

final dough
175 grams/1 1/3 cups + 1 tbsp  gf bread flour mix (see here)
50 grams/1/2 cup  gf all-purpose flour mix (see here)
2 large  eggs, room temperature
2 large  egg yolks, room temperature
75 grams/1/3 cup  butter, soft
45 grams/2 tbsp + 1 tsp  honey
5 grams/1 tsp  molasses
pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice, cardamom (optional)
7 grams/1 1/2 tsp  kosher salt
90 grams/2/3 cup  currants, plumped
45 grams/1/4 cup  candied lemon peels, chopped

egg wash
1/2 large  egg yolk
a dash of milk or cream

To make the sponge: Stir the quick rise yeast into 150 grams of bread flour mix. Make a well in the centre. Pour 200 grams milk in the well. Stir to just combine. Cover with plastic or a clean cloth and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.

To make the final dough: Combine the sponge in the bowl of an electric standmixer4 with all the final dough ingredients but the currants and candied lemon peels. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on the lowest speed for ten minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the currants and candied lemon peel. Knead an additional two to three minutes.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic, or a clean cloth, and let rise at room temperature until not quite doubled in bulk, 30 minutes.

Line a sheetpan with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Knead each piece by hand for one minute. Roll each into a round ball and flatten slightly. Arrange on the prepared sheet pan no more than one centimetre apart (1/2 inch). Cover with plastic, while you work the next piece of dough.

Brush each bun with the egg wash. Loosely cover. Let rise at room temperature until not quite doubled, about 15-20 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 177°C (350°F).

Brush the buns again with egg wash.

hot cross bun topping
90 grams/7/8 cup  gf all purpose flour mix (see here)
45 grams/3 tbsp  butter, melted
45 grams/3 tbsp  granulated sugar
25 grams/5 tsp  milk 2% (I prefer goat milk)
1/2 each  lemon zest, chopped finely
1/2 large  egg yolk

glaze
2 tbsp  apricot jam
2 tbsp  corn syrup

In a small bowl, stir together all topping ingredients. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small tip, number three tip. Pipe a cross shape over each bun by piping one line across the centre of a bun, then pipe a line perpendicular to the first line.

Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the bottom of the buns sound hollow when tapped, 18 to 20 minutes. The topping should still be very pale in colour.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

MAKES: 8 WAFFLES | DAIRY-FREE, LOW GLYCEMIC

260 grams/2 cups  gf pastry flour mix or gf almond pastry flour mix (purchase here)
30 grams/2 tbsp  granulated sugar
12 grams/3 tsp  baking powder
5 grams/1 tsp  kosher salt
200 grams/3/4 cup  milk 2% or to make dairy-free use almond milk
2 large  eggs
60 grams/1/4 cup  melted butter to make dairy-free use oil
5 grams/1 tsp  pure vanilla extract

Sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs into the milk. Add butter and vanilla. Whisk in the dry ingredients.

Heat your waffle iron, then coat it with an even thin layer of spray on oil. Buying your own reusable oil misting bottle is cheaper and healthier, both for you and the environment, than buying a can of spray on oil.

Portion the batter into the iron. Do not over fill the iron the batter will rise significantly. Cook until golden brown, as per your waffle iron manufacturer’s instructions.

There is a rumour which says celiac's cannot eat oats. To dispel this myth, you first need to know Oat and his friends and family as I do. Then you will see they are not bad folks to have around… or are they?

If you knew the Mr. and Mrs. Monocot, you will know they had three daughters.

Their oldest child who married into the Triticum's bore three children of her own: Wheat, a strong burly chap; then Rye, who has a wry sense of humour; and last, Barley, who works at the local malt shop.

Mr. and Mrs. Monocot's middle child’s married name is Stavia, and she had two children: Rice and Oat.

The Monocot's youngest child’s surname became Poaceae. The Poaceae raised three strapping children of her own: Sorghum, who had a Southern accent as thick as molasses; Corn, who has hair like silk; and Millet the miller.

The whole Grass family and their descendants are a wholesome group, however, Wheat and his brothers don't know their own strength. They are all the thick skinned type who sometimes rub people the wrong way; as in the problems create by the high concentration of gluten in grains of the triticum family.

Oat is a humble, wholesome, healthy lad. Nevertheless, when he hangs around his cousins Wheat, Rye and Barley their coarse form of jesting rubs off on him and he becomes offensive to his brother Rice and his other cousins; as when oat can easily become contaminated with gluten when processed in the same facilities used for processing wheat.

On his own, Oat is a likable guy almost anyone would get along with him, but there is a streak in him which clicks with his cousin Wheat and can distort this likable lad in a moment, though he never goes  as far in biting jesting as Rye.

Gluten is the term for the storage protein of wheat. It is what remains after the starch granules are washed away; and accounts for 10-15 percent of the wheat flour.

The fraction of gluten most studied in celiac disease is called gliadin, but there are other proteins which chemically resemble gliadin in rye and barley. These similar proteins are the offending part.

The offending protein in rye are secalins and in barley are hordeins. These proteins are not strictly glutens but are generally included in the term and are still toxic to people with celiac disease.

Wheat, rye and barley are closely related genetically. Oats are on a different branch, more closely related to rice. Most studies of gluten look at gliadin, but it is possible there are other proteins in gluten to which people are sensitive.

However, oats contain a protein fraction called avenin.

“Avenin...Was shown to cause a reaction in a few celiac patients that is not fundamentally different from the reaction to gluten peptides [gliadins]. But clinical studies have shown that the majority or people with celiac disease tolerate oats quite well.” - Peter H.R. Green, M.D., and Rory Jones, M.S., Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic: Is Gluten Making You Sick?

It is believed oats are safe for over 98 percent of those with celiac disease. Studies have found patients ingesting oats sometimes have more symptoms because of the increase in dietary fibre, but very few have any type of immune reaction.

When if Oat hangs around with, and spends much of his growing-up years with, his cousin Wheat cross contamination remains an issue. Oats and other grains are often grown in close proximity to, or are processed at the same facilities as, wheat, rye and barley. If not sorted properly, gluten can be accidentally ground in with the Oats, contaminating them.

Thankfully there is, and has been for sometime, a solution on the market, certified gluten-free oats. It is actually two solutions under one header. Certified gluten-free oats can be raised in two ways. The first is to raise the crops well away from wheat crops, the fields then are inspected to verify they are far enough away from wheat. The second is to raise the crop as per the norm, but in the factory/mill an electric eye scans the grains for gluten. The product is then sorted to remove all wheat kernels. Ultimately, both methods are inspected at the end in a lab and if found to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten they are certified ‘gluten-free.’

Look for the certification and eat with ease. However, monitor your health for any symptoms, bearing in mind there might be an overload of fibre, if you have a flare up consult your doctor immediately, you may be among the two percent of celiacs who are allergic to oats, or rather to oat protein.

2 each  Bosc pears
300 mL/1 1/4 cups  red wine
50 grams  granulated sugar
20 grams/1 tbsp  liquid honey
2 strips  orange peel and juice of half an orange
1 stick  cinnamon
1 star  anise (optional)

Peel, quarter and core the pears and place in a pan with the red wine, sugar, honey, orange peels, orange juice, cinnamon stick and star anise. Set over low heat to dissolve sugar.

Baste the pears and bring slowly to a boil, cover with a disc of baking parchment. If you care to know, this “disc of parchment” is referred to as a ‘cartuchute’ among culinary circles. It is a great make shift lid. Continue to cook at a very gentle simmer until the fruit is tender but not soft. This ought to take 15-30 minutes more, depending on the ripeness of the pears. Remove the pan from the heat and let the pears cool in the liquid. Leave the pears sitting in the poaching liquid at least a good two hours, after cooling. Keeps in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

Peel, quarter and core the pears and place in a pan with the red wine, sugar, honey, orange peels, orange juice, cinnamon stick and star anise (if using). Set over low heat to dissolve sugar. Baste the pears and bring slowly to a boil, cover with a disc of baking parchment.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Sterilize two, 500 mL jars and two, two piece lids.

Divide the pears evenly amongst the sterilized jars. Pour the liquid equally into both jars. Seal sterilized lids finger tight. Return the sealed jars to the boiling water. Top up pot so that the water covers the jars by at east an inch. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove jars from the water and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely for 24 hours.

These colorful, tasty cookies will bring back childhood memories for anyone with Eastern European heritage. This kołaczki cookie recipe has is made with a cream cheese dough that bakes up buttery and flaky. Kołaczki comes in as many shapes as it ahs alternate spellings it can be round, square or diamond-shaped, and the dough can be flaky or yeast-risen. You will need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before rolling and cutting, so plan accordingly. You can freeze unbaked filled kołaczki, then bake from frozen when you're ready. All you need to do is add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

250 grams/1 1/3 cups  butter, soft
250 gram/1 1/3 cups  soft goat cheese or cream cheese, room temperature
3 large  egg yolks
7 grams/1 1/2 tsp  lemon juice (optional)
200 grams/1 cups  granulated sugar
250 grams/2 cups  brown rice flour
250 grams/2 cups  sweet rice flour
125 grams/1 cup  arrowroot starch/flour
1.25 mL/1/4 tsp  xanthan gum (optional)

fillings and garnishments
apricot jam
confectioners’ sugar

Cream together the butter, goat cheese, sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir in the flour. The dough should be stiff but not dry. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to two millimetres (1/12 inch) thick. Cut onto six centimetres (2 1/2 inch) squares.

Heat an oven to 160°C (325°F).

Place a small dollop (five millilitres/1 tsp) in the centre of each square. Fold one corner half over. Fold opposing corner onto the folded corner. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Bake ten to twelve minutes, until slightly coloured. Cool. Store in an airtight container