Amazon Oops Again!

Amazon has jumped the gun and is offering my new novel, CALLOUS, for sale ahead of its May publication date ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601640226 ) . When RABID was released last year, Amazon sold out and even sucked dry its wholesaler, so they had to backorder the book from the distributer and it took a couple weeks to get the fresh meat.

If you want to read CALLOUS any time soon, muscle your way to the head of the line and snatch a copy from some milquetoast's virtual shopping cart now!

TK Kenyon
http://www.tkkenyon.com

Celiac Maniac's Muffin Flour Blend

This easy flour blend works great for muffins, cakes, sweet breads, or other moist baked goods. Recipes using it soon.

5 parts garbanzo bean flour (besan)
1 part rice flour
1 part sorghum flour (jowar)
1 part tapioca starch

Cookbook Review: The Gluten-Free Gourmet Makes Dessert

"The Gluten-Free Gourmet Makes Dessert" is one of the best of the GFG series for the extra information it includes.

While all of the books have the Bette Hagman's basic GF mixes (combinations of various GF flours that makes a more stable product,) this book has a great table of the protein, fat, carb, and fiber content of many of our "funny flours" (p26-7). It's fantastic for figuring out what flours to try substituting with if you're trying to increase the protein or fiber content of a recipe.

"Dessert" also has an example of how to take an ordinary cake recipe and make it GF, and suggestions for how much xanthum to use (p30-1). There's also a great troubleshooting chapter that starts on page 33.

One of the good things about the whole GFG series is that Bette put a lot of recipes in all her books. Unlike some recent books that have 20 to 30 recipes total, Bette packs 'em in.

The "cakes from mixes" chapter is less than exciting. It's where you take a GF cake mix and then add so much stuff to it that you could've started from scratch.

Steer clear of the brownie recipe on page 138. It was rock hard on the edges and underbaked in the middle, and was more like a blondie with flecks of chocolate than a proper brownie. I just use a regular recipe and, with the help of the guidelines on page 33, make good cocoa brownies. I'll publish that recipe soon.

The Black Forest Cupcakes on p113 turned out watery-tasting rather than moist and fell a little in the centers. Use some drier flour, perhaps substitute some rice flour for some of the Four Bean Flour.

Favorite recipes:

• Pumpkin cake p64
• Banana cake p61 (These are both like really good breads.)
• Toll House cookies p157
• Chocolate Mousse cake p282 (One of the better flourless choc cakes I've had)

How to Find Restaurants Anywhere in the US that are Gluten-Free Friendly

There's a great resource at Gluten-Free Restaurants from the Gluten Intolerance Group that allows you to search by zip code to find a restaurant near you that participates in their GF program.

It's a great resource, especially when one is traveling within the US. While it does not list all restaurants, especially a shocking lack of P.F. Chang's, it is a great place to start your research.

All the Outback Steak Houses are listed, which are great places to eat at. I'll review them formally later, but YUM! Even a dessert! Even a chocolate dessert!

Thai Kitchen: many boxed meals are gluten free!

There are very few boxed meals that celiacs can eat, so when we find some, it's great.

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Thai Kitchen, makers of fine Thai food, make many gluten-free products, helpfully labeled as such on the package. TK's experimental tummy agrees that they are indeed GF. In addition, their Stir-Fry Rice Noodles, a fettuccine-like substitute for pasta, are the best GF rice pasta around.

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When I was first diagnosed, I bought probably 5 brands of GF pasta (rice, corn-rice, quinoa-rice, whatever,) and they were all simultaneously gritty and slimy. Thai Kitchen's noodles, on the other hand, are forgiving (meaning if you boil them a minute too long, they won't turn to mush) and have a nice texture. I often mix Thai Kitchen's rice noodles and the soybean noodles below to balance protein and carbs.

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Many of Thai Kitchen's products are gluten-free, and a number are other allergen-free, too. Their site includes an excellent allergen information page and also has excellent recipes.

Thai Kitchen labels their GF products "Gluten-Free" under the ingredients list and often on the front. Do look for this tag as a few of their products are not GF. Thai Kitchen products are available in most general grocery stores and many health food stores.

These products get a "Best" rating because they're excellent food that happens to be GF.

GF products include:

Thai Peanut Stir Fry Noodle Meal Kit

Original Pad Thai Stir Fry Noodle Meal Kit

Lemongrass and Chili Stir Fry Noodle Meal Kit

ALL Instant Rice Noodle Soups (They look like Ramen packages.)

(Bangkok Curry, Spring Onion, etc.)

Roasted Garlic Instant Rice Noodle Bowl

Mushroom Instant Rice Noodle Bowl

Spring Onion Instant Rice Noodle Bowl

Lemongrass and Chili Instant Rice Noodle Bowl

Thai Ginger Instant Rice Noodle Bowl

ALL "Noodle Carts" (Rectangular boxes.)

(Thai Peanut, Pad Thai, etc.)

Original Pad Thai "Take Out Box"

Thai Basil and Chili "Take Out Box"

Ginger and Sweet Chili "Take Out Box"

ALL Jasmine Rice Mixes

(Green Chili and Garlic, etc.)

ALL Rice Noodles, Coconut milks, Sauces, Curry Pastes, and Simmer Sauces are GF.