Gluten Free Dos Pinos Yogurt Drinks

How exciting! Gluten Free Yogurt Drinks! We went to the Costa Rica border yesterday, around here it is known at The Frontera and did a bit of shopping. There is a grocery store on the Tico side which carries Dos Pinos Costan Rican brand milk products. I saw this cute little yogurt bottle and with bated breath read the ingredients. Whooo Hoooo! Gluten Free! I snatched up a half-dozen bottles and at 55 cents a pop - not bad!  The gluten free brand of yogurt we usually buy is $1 a container - so this was a steal.

The GF Boy chugged down his tuti -frutie flavor and asked for more.  It is even fortified with DHA and no added corn syrup - dare I say a kid-friendly, gluten free yogurt find? Yes Indeed!

Then I stumbled upon this statement by Dos Pinos posted at http://www.cacporternovelli.com.. .., en el caso de los productos Dos Pinos, la leche, mantequilla, natilla, yogurt, queso crema, leches especializadas (la fibra utilizada es inulina, la cual no contiene gluten); jugos y bebidas, leche en polvo (la maltodextrina utilizada es de maíz) y quesos, son productos libres de gluten y seguros para personas celíacas.

Los únicos productos Dos Pinos que contienen gluten son algunos de los Helados, en especial aquellos que contienen galleta, cono y queque ó topping de galleta que podrían tener algunas trazas de gluten.

A quick translation...Dos Pinos products, such as milk, butter, natilla, yogurt, cream cheese, specialized milks, cheeses, are all products free of gluten and safe for celiac persons!  I love buying Costa Rican products, their country has stringent labeling laws, has recognized Celiac Disease in the country and a labeling caution and I feel confident I am not going to cross contaminate my child when providing him with  foods labeled gluten free from Costa Rica.   

Gluten Free Donut Holes

These are a classic, go to treat - whip up a batch. Sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk and you will think these are from a store.
Gluten-Free Donuts
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup of milk or milk substitute- these were made with rice milk
2 tbs of soften butter
Beat the above together add to dry below
2 1/2 cups of AP GF flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs of baking powder
2 to 3 tbs of sugar
Knead the dough until a uniform consistency is achieved and roll out - cut into traditional doughnuts or into holes. Fry, cool and coat with your choice of toppings.

Food, The Celiac Kid Abroad can take it or leave it.

I am food driven. If I see food, I want it, especially chocolate. Yum.

I am amazed that my celiac child can eat like a bird and survive.  If I ate that way I would most certainly die of hunger. Seriously, just the thoughts of grocery shopping makes my mouth water. But the Boy is very different when it comes to food, the desire for food, the whole process of eating food and even choosing food. He is not food driven. He doesn't eat.

This used to perplex me as I watched him go days and days surviving on a bowel of gluten free cocoa pepples (yea, I know not the most nutritive breakfast cereal, but in David, Panama we have two gluten free cereal options, and they are fruity or cocoa flavor if you get my drift). So back to the Boy. For the past week he has eaten hardly any food. Last night for dinner I begged and pleaded for him to eat a hot dog.  Forty-Five minutes late the hot dog was almost gone. Forty-five minutes to eat a hot dog! Jeez!

I started a food journal for him as well - just to make certain he was getting a good variety of foods and not ODing on the cocoa stuff....
1) GF Waffles
2) 1 glass of Hawaiin Punch
3) 1/2 of a scambled egg
4) Hot Dog
5) 3/4 of a banana
6) Hand full of gummy bears

The Boy will not eat anything that resembles breads, crackers, breading and such. My Mommy Theory is that these foods made his belly hurt and feel so horribly for so long he just associates it will feeling, well crappy, so he avoids these foods like the plague.  My second Mommy Theory is that he doesn't give a hill of beans about food - good for him because he didn't get that from me - so he just looks at food like a chore - not the source of pleasure my food loving body finds.

Gluten-free Mess - Yuck

It stuck everywhere. Sometimes gluten free flours are sticky. REALLY sticky. Such the case this morning.

Up at 4:45 am and decided to treat the kiddos to waffles. Disaster. Should have sipped my delicious Panama Coffee and had cold cereal. But oh no, forward with the waffles. I used my basic waffle recipe.  A mix of AP flour, Maseca, and rice flour, oil, milk, egg, sugar and a touch of vanilla.

Oh what a gooey mess, sticky mess. Waffle after waffle stuck. I added oil. No help there, just a burnt sticky mess.

What to do. Hungry children at the table, the clock racing towards 6 am, and no waffles on a plate...AHHHHH! Salvaging what I could into "waffle strips" I plated them up and served the hungry masses.  Know what I discovered? Sticky, messy, some-what-burnt-waffle taste pretty darn good when smothered in butter and syrup! YUM.

Maseca Paprica Chicken Tenders

Maseca Paprika crusted chicken

Maseca also makes a great batter for chicken. Mix equal parts Maseca with your favorite AP gluten free flour and cook as you like - today is Paprika chicken tenders!

Maseca Corn Flour - Corncakes

This morning we had corncakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast. The kids scarfed them down so fast I didn't get a picture; actually, they scarfed down two batches. These cakes are quick and gluten-free. I didn't realize how easy, tasty and economical these cakes were until they became the kids morning favorite.  They also are yummy dipped in a bowel of chili. Maseca is a $1.25 for a 2lb bag. The flour has a sweet corn flavor to it - so if that is not too your liking temper it with a bit of rice flour or your favorite AP GF flour and it makes it less sweet. Beware, Maseca really soaks up the liquid so after mixing you might need to add more liquid to thin out the batter.  Make a batch and let me know if your family scarfed them down too!

1 egg beaten with 1 cup of milk and 1 tbs oil

1 tbs of baking powder

1 tbs sugar

1 cup of Maseca

1/2 cup Rice Flour

Add dry to beaten liquid ingredients. Fry in a well butter skillet for a crispy outside - less butter for a more traditional pancake texture.

These are great with jelly and butter.   

Black Bean Cocoa Cake

Cheap. Simple. Gluten-free
1 can of black beans, rinse and drain well
3 tbs oil
3 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
3 tbs rice flour or corn starch
2 tbs gf baking powder
1/4 cup of cocoa

Mix in blender or micro-blender liquids and add to dry ingredients. Pour into 9x9 pan bake 20 min at 350 degrees.
Great with frosting or plain.

Today's gluten free lunch

Sometimes lunch is quick. Today was that day. BPJ on gluten free waffle, gluten free choco-banana brownie, fresh melon and a few corn chips. YUM!

It's just us...well 8 of us.

There are 8 children in our town of 150K who have confirmed Celiac Disease. To say the least it is misunderstood and or unheard of by most of the population in Panama. Therefor, shopping for gluten-free products is difficult. Our stores do not stock any gluten-free staples. What items I do need, which are necessary, must be shipped from a specialty store in Panama City. Between transportation costs and product costs, a $5 bag of all purpose gluten free flour swells to upwards of $15.

Given a bit of invention coupled with luck I have found my local Chinese rice flour cuts well into the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free flour - practicably tripling the amount without any loss of quality. HURRAY! It works well in pancakes, baked goods, coatings for frying, even doughnuts - awe sweet, mouthwatering doughnuts. But that's a later post.

Choco-Banana Brownie

We have a birthday party today and I need a quick GF snack to take along.  This is my go-to brownie recipe!
1 1/2 Cups of GF Flour*
1/2 Cup of Cocoa
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
5 Tbs oil/GF Margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 Mashed Banana added to 1/2 Cup of water

Mix dry and then cream in wet with hand mixer. Mix until frothy - more air gives more lift to GF items. Pour into a 9x9 pan and bake 30-35 min at 350 degrees

Cool and Enjoy

4 quick budget-friendly Gluten Free snacks

When in a bind and need a quick snack for our GF child I turn to these...
1. Peanuts. Quick-snack packs at 15 cents each are bargain and filling.
2. Chinese rice cookies. Crunchy, sweet and oh so tempting. Make friends with your local chinese market owner. A plethora of cheap gf products. We get a dozen of these cookies for $1.79.
3. Popcorn or cracker jacks. Better yet make your own caramel corn.
4. Bananas. We live in the tropics and at 3 for 25 cents a steal.

Eating Out in Panama - and Getting Glutened.

"I can't eat there, it makes my tummy hurt." He said as he pointed to the steam bar at the local Comida Cerola restaurant. It's Panama's equivalent of fast food. Heaping, mounds of rice, meats, and salads on a steam bar. It's quick and cheap so it's lunch sometimes.

But not any longer.

It took one little bite of, what appeared to be, grilled chicken and yes, you guess it, glutened. So what's the mother to a Celiac three-year old suppose to feed her son in a country that does not understand Celiac Disease.