Author Mary Capone teaches us fine classic Italian dishes from her roots in the Italian Countryside.
Upon reading The Gluten-Free Italian Cookbook, I felt a sense of warmth from the author as she opened her heart and the doors to her “world”—her past, her family, and her heritage. Mary grew up in New York in the kitchen and around an Italian table with family meals being the excitement of the day. Platters of food adorned the table, and laughter and love, which was in every dish.

Mary’s travels in Europe after college brought her to her roots, her love—Italy. Crossing the border she knew instantly she was at home. When she returned to her father’s village, she was taught the secrets of simple Southern Italian cuisine, which she brought back to the States, opening “Marie’s Crêpes”—European crêpes made to order.

Mary started having signs of an auto-immune disease shared by her grandmother, who eventually died from the disease. Mary was told it was genetic and nothing could be done. She spent years searching for solutions. As with many celiacs, she finally diagnosed herself, had the blood test performed, and it was confirmed. She had celiac disease. She began to regain her health as she began eating gluten-free.

The gluten-rich diet of her ancestors was her new nemesis. Rather than looking at all she must avoid, she yearned for recreating those lovely dishes in a cuisine she could eat—one by one. The transformation evolved in her own kitchen as she created healthy gluten-free alternatives.

In 2005, with a recipe book full of one-of-a-kind dishes exuding the flavor, aroma, and love of Italian food, Mary opened the Wheat-Free Gourmet Cooking School in Boulder, Colorado. The spirit and joy in her cooking school is what inspired her to share her recipes with the gluten-free community.

Each of Mary’s recipes has a concise yet personal prelude setting a lovely scene for the forthcoming dish. Each story reflects on the pleasure and love she imparts now to the reader. Not only is this a cookbook you’ll treasure and have on your shelves to use for years to come, it is a story, a life story Mary shares openly. Her personality shines through—a peaceful, artistic culinary soul. I for one feel as if I made a friend, by owning this book alone.

The dishes in The Gluten-free Italian Cookbook are nutritious, earthy, truly Italian, and bursting with flavor. I get a sense of the aromas just reading the recipes. Each one offers a dairy-free version simply explained and well-tested. She has vegetarian options as well. Many beautiful photographs accompany the book as well as a hint of family, scattered amongst the pages, letting the reader in on her family album.

This is a cookbook devoted primarily to gluten-free Italian meal options, not just desserts.  With dishes such as Eggplant Caponata (Caponata di Melanzane), mushrooms and Olive Tapenade Crostini, Aunt Caramel’s Baked Stuffed Artichokes (Carciofi con Pane e Salsiccia), Our Daily Bread, Seafood Pizza and Mary’s Traditional Dairy-Free Ricotta, one is never at a loss for a culinary adventure resulting in an aromatic and love-filled meal—from Mary’s heart to yours.

This is one of the most pleasurable “reading” cookbooks I have had the opportunity to have, read, and own. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a healthy alternative to cooking—simple gluten-free. “Mangiare bene, bere bene e’ vivere bene.” To eat well, to drink well, is to live well. This is how Mary likes to live her life, and shares a part of that living through this cookbook.

I give this book a thumbs up, Mary is a delight and it is HIGHLY recommended by me! 
Tina Turbin
www.glutenfreehelp.info

This is such a delicious recipe for a nice husband and wife morning, or to play in the kitchen with the kids. It is delicious and fun no matter the company.

INGREDIENTS

6 tbsp egg whites

3 tbsp milk (or soy or almond milk)

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp vanilla

Butter

Cinnamon (to taste)

4 slices of GF bread (room temperature)

1 c crushed GF corn flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a pyrex dish whisk egg, milk or milk substitute, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon

2. Soak bread about 20 sec on each side.

3. Lightly coat each wet piece of bread with crushed corn flakes.

4. Heat up butter in a skillet, keeping it on low-medium heat.

5. Cook your GF crispy French toast, turning only once. They will be golden when done.

Enjoy!

Tina Turbin

www.glutenfreehelp.info

Who would have ever thought that decadent desserts could be allergy-friendly and healthy, too?
INGREDIENTS
½ cup white rice flour
¾ cup sorghum flour
½ cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp ground cinnamon, optional
1 pinch ground cloves, optional
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
½ cup agave nectar
1/3 cup coconut oil
½ tbsp vanilla extract
¾ cup rice, soy or almond milk
1 ½ cups (5.3 ounces) chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate grated zest of 1 orange or 1 tsp dried orange zest
1 ¼ cups grated carrots

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch cakes pan.

2. Combine flours, tapioca starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. Add eggs, honey, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Blend well. Set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, heat milk to just under a boil. Pour it over chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

5. Add chocolate and egg mixture to flour mixture. Add orange zest and stire well to form a smooth batter. Stir in grated zucchini.

6. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Perfect for a dinner party or a quiet dinner for two!

Tina Turbin

www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet is a cookbook offering a clarification to and simplification of the grain-free diet and its health benefits. It also clarifies some specific points regarding the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and offers some well-researched and documented history and evidence about the diet.

Bestselling authors Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass met one day while on a trip to meet with the now-author Elaine Gottschall, creator of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and started talking recipes and food. They soon collaborated and found that their individual styles complimented each other perfectly.

Jodi says her style is simple and she’s a mom, and Janet is more scientific and a medical writer. They even like opposites. Jodi prefers family meals and recipes to serve her kids, while Jenny has a bit of a sweet tooth and loves ice cream—hence, the basis of a wonderful assortment to not only satisfy the palate, but an array to fill the many basic needs from breakfasts to dinners, desserts, and kitchen staples, all with a great homemade taste.

For anyone wanting to absorb the premise behind the SCD, this is the book for any reader. You are presented with just what you need to grasp the concepts. I, for one, now understand Elaine’s original book as a result of Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet’s well-written explanations.

The recipes produce without a doubt top-of-the-line, high-quality foods. (Try the cashew butter cookies—with almond flour!) They are packed with nutrition thanks to Jodi’s interests and loaded with “yum” thanks to Jenny. Together they have created another soon-to-be-bestseller, Everyday Grain-Free.

Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.info
r.n.

Bestselling first book: “Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living” by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass

I’m bringing you this recipe courtesy of Cream Hill Estates. For more delicious, gluten-free oats recipes, visit the following link: http://www.creamhillestates.com/en_healthy_oat_recipes.php.

INGREDIENTS

Oat Crunch Topping

3/4 cup Oats, rolled, old fashioned  (pure gluten-free oat products)
1/3 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tbsp Butter or margarine
2 tbsp Nuts, chopped (optional)

Cake

1/2 cup Vegetable shortening
2/3 cup White sugar
1 cup Banana, ripe and mashed
2 Eggs, large
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups Oat flour (gluten-free)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup Nuts, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Mix in mashed banana, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, salt, soda and nuts, stir until all ingredients are mixed together. Don’t over mix.

2. Put batter in greased 8”x 8” pan. Sprinkle Oat Crunch Topping on the cake batter.

3. Bake for 35-40 minutes in 350 F oven. Cool in pan on wire rack.

4. Cut into 16 pieces – each piece has 24 grams of oats (flour and rolled oats totaled).

Tina Turbin

Some day it is just nice to wake up and make a simple breakfast with your daughter. My daughter Miranda is a terrific cook and she loves to come up with new ways to make food on the run.

This morning we took room temperature gluten-free millet bread and soaked it in our egg batter until it was drenched.

We cooked our French toast in Soy butter on medium heat.

Then Miranda took our fresh and very ripe raspberries and placed them in a small pan over heat and added a bit of maple syrup. She broke up the raspberries and gently mixed until the raspberries were bubbling and soft.

We poured them on top of our warm French toast and had a lovely mother daughter breakfast.

For lunch try this gluten-free chicken curry dish. It’s one of my daughters favorites.

Tina + Miranda Turbin

(makes 2 large pancakes, or 4 servings)

These delicious gluten-free yummies should be served as soon as they’re pulled from the oven, as they will deflate soon enough. They’re perfect for an easy, laid-back brunch! Boy these are incredible and I make thes often to replace my buckwheat pancakes, which we love as well.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

¾ c GF flour mix ( or my flour mix)

¾ c soy, rice, or almond milk

½ tsp salt

1/3 c coconut oil

2 medium apples, thinly sliced

¼ c sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place 2 round layers pans, 9 by 1 ½ inches, in oven.

3. Beat eggs, flour, milk, and salt in small mixer bowl on medium speed for 1 minute.

4. Remove pans from oven. Place 1/2 of coconut oil in each pan. Rotate pans until coconut oil is melted and coats sides of pans.

5. Arrange half the apple slices in each pan. Divide batter evenly between pans. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar mixture over batter in each pan.

6. Bake uncovered until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Tina Turbin

We can all get quite tired of the basic egg recipes, pancakes and maybe some gluten-free toast for breakfast. Look no further. Lisa Bishop has authored an entire book devoted to not only gluten-free breakfast but the added step of a grain-free breakfast.
Many recipes are simply coconut flour, flax, or neither, or offer unusual ways to play with vegetables to make for example fake fried potatoes—with no potatoes!
This book is a real solution to the problems many grain-free dieters face. The difficulties of making crispy waffles, creamy cereals, or softy pillowy pancakes are all resolved.
Delicious breakfasts are at your fingertips with each presentation unlike the other. This book truly presents variety in every sense of the word.
Start your day out right—enjoy a home-cooked grain-free meal in Fun & Fabulous Grain-Free Breakfast Recipes.
This cookbook is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended by me.
Tina Turbin
www.glutenfreehelp.info

Best served with applesauce and sour cream.

INGREDIENTS

1 large parsnip, peeled and shredded
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and shredded
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
3 leeks (white and light green parts only) or 1 onion, chopped
¾ cup rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs, beaten (or egg substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ – ½ cup oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a colander, rinse the parsnips and potatoes under cold water. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels; transfer to a mixing bowl.

2. Stir in the carrots, leeks (or onion), flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and pepper.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Drop in large spoonfuls of the batter, flattening each with the back of a spoon. Cook, turning once, until brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes a side.

5. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.