Thursday 31 March 2016

Gluten Free Pad Thai





For the Pad Thai              
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons peanut, ground nut or stir-fry oil                
1 red pepper, de-seeded and cut into thin strips
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 carrot coarsely grated
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (or leave
seeds in for extra spice)
400g packet, straight to wok Thai Ribbon noodles
4 spring onions, finely sliced
40g chopped peanuts, preferably unsalted
1 handful fresh coriander leaves

For the sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (Tamari sauce is gluten free)
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
Juice from 1 lime
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar


  1. Heat a wok over a high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil.
  2. Once the oil is almost smoking add the chilli and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the red pepper, yellow pepper, carrot and onion and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until the onion has softened.
  3. Add the noodles, and butter beans. Cook for 2 minutes, tossing the ingredients together.
  4. Meanwhile make the sauce. Place the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar into a bowl and mix together.
  5. Stir the sauce through the Pad Thai.
  6. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add to the wok, cook for 1 minute. Toss the through the spring onions.
  7. Place in bowls, sprinkle with the peanuts and the coriander leaves and serve.

Monday 21 March 2016

Gluten Free Scones

The Glutenzone team were hard at it this week with Mark Doe from Just Cooking making more gluten free video recipes for you all - next ones coming very soon.

So in the mean time we thought we'd share the recipe with you along with the yummy pics - it's a tough job being chief taster at these things but someone's got to do it!!

The best scones I have tasted in a VERY long time. Nom Nom.


Ingredients 

340g Gluten free self raising flour (Mark prefers to use Dove's flour)
2 level tea spoons Xanthan gum
115g unsalted butter/coconut oil (to make it dairy free!)
3-4 level tablespoons of castor sugar
2 medium eggs
4 fluid oz milk (or diary free alternative like rice milk)
Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

Directions

  • Pre heat oven to 200 degrees fan/Gas mark 6/220 degrees non fan
  • Sieve the gluten free flour, Xanthan gum, salt and sugar into a bowl
  • Add small chilled cubes of butter
  • Rub butter in or use a food processor (Mark says it's best to use food processor if using coconut oil)- keep rubbing until achieve fine bread crumbs
  • Beat two eggs and add milk to eggs
  • Make a well in the centre of the bowl 
  • Incorporate milk/egg using metal spoon until becomes clumpy 
  • Tip on table, lightly knead to form a soft dough
  • If dough seems too sticky you may need a little more flour
  • Roll out to thickness of 1 inch
  • Cut scones using 2 inch pastry cutter (best results dip cutter in flour each time)
  • Place in baking tray
  • Brush tops with beaten egg
  • Bake in own for approx 20 minutes until golden brown and hollow when tap bottom.


Irelands Best Gluten Free Web Directory http://glutenzone.ie

Thanks to Mark Doe from http://www.justcooking.ie

Tuesday 8 March 2016

Gluten Free Easter Eggs

Thanks to Celtic Choclates we can shop local and enjoy some Easter treats. Make sure you share the good news with your buddies!!




Glutenzone Team Hitting the Town - Aldi Today!


So out team were smooching around Aldi today and found these gluten free soups and sauces. Has anyone tried them, what are your thoughts?





Wednesday 2 March 2016

Gluten Free, a Healthier Diet and the Placebo Effect


So many people ask me if gluten is bad for everyone.

I think what we have to do is look at the history of gluten and when it made its way into our diets, because gluten wasn’t widely accessible until the nineteenth century.

I firmly believe and remember this is an observation not a scientific fact, that quite possibly wheat in its earliest most unprocessed form was probably ok for the human digestive system.

I believe that all the chemicals, the processing of foods and additives are causing havoc with our stomachs thus causing us to be more sensitive to other foods like gluten and in my case dairy.

Do I think people feel better having a gluten free diet?

Yes I do.

But when people say to me ‘Your diet must be healthier because it’s gluten free’ that just isn’t the case.

If we were to stick to a Paleo style (cave man) diet of nuts, seeds, meat, fish, fruit and veg (all organic) then yes this is a much healthier diet.

But when Glutenzone are posting images of Tesco frozen battered onion rings and it reaches over 10,000 people in 24 hours – we know people are not necessarily looking to get healthier but simply replace the proceed gluten foods with a gluten free version!

BTW I am not criticizing anyone for this choice – I’m as guilty as the next person for saying ‘Oh if only I could eat that donut!’

But don’t think that a gluten free diet will be instantly healthier because that may not be the case.
There are many gluten free packaged foods out there that are packed with additives as we all know a gluten free cake doesn’t stay fresh for more than 24 hours!!

So before you embark on a gluten free diet thinking you’ll be instantly healthier, take a look at what you are replacing your foods with?

As a nutritional therapist when people first eliminate gluten from their diets I don’t tell them to buy gluten free bread, I give them ideas of how to live without any bread. There are plenty of gluten free grains out there that will give you plenty of energy without the tummy ache or bloat!

To get more natural ideas for your gluten free diet, sign up to our mailing list and you will receive a FREE copy of our Gluten Free Guide. www.glutenzone.ie

Have an awesome day.
Heidi xx

Reference

Glutenzone Are Recruiting!

Over the past 2 years, Gluten Zone.ie has grown from an idea, to what it is today.  We spent countless hours researching while we built a site that would benefit the Irish Gluten Free Community.
We approached local businesses, armed with a laptop, a phone and an idea to ask questions and get answers.  It started off with a bang, and we quickly realized that this was going to become more than a full time job. With the amazing success Gluten Zone has had across its range of social media platforms it’s time to spread the word and help more Gluten Free Irish businesses extend their market share.
“Gluten Zone needs you!”
 We are looking for outside sales reps around the country.

Candidates will have an extensive knowledge of a Gluten Free lifestyle along with their local area and possess the confidence to approach business owners with this exciting opportunity to join Gluten Zone.
The ideal candidates:
1.      Gluten Free/Coeliac preferred
2.      Strong willed and willing to think outside the box….
3.      An understanding and passion for social media
4.      Wanting a second job or additional household income
5.      A willingness to learn
You could be:
6.      A college student looking for some extra income
7.      A stay-at-home mom/dad looking to put her/his people skills to the test
8.      Just want to earn a bit of extra money
You will need:
·         A tablet/ipad with wifi
Through our own market research, we hear the same response from consumers and businesses, this is what this needed to support local business and help them thrive. There is a market for the Gluten Zone directory and we can supply the digital marketing support that   businesses want however many businesses are unsure how to do it. We offer that missing service that business need. Now we just need to spread the word.
The position is commission only and full face to face training will be provided. This is a great opportunity to help local business get off the ground floor and fly, so come with us and grow with the company.
You will require your own laptop or a tablet with Wifi or a phone that can internet share with your device. (Gluten Zone will reimburse any internet costs that are incurred via uploading)


We are paying a starting rate of 10% commission and as your targets are meet your commission increases. Prices are listed on our website http://glutenzone.ie and click the ‘join now’ page to see the packages we are offering, and those commissions are paid weekly.  
Those are our current range of products at the moment, we have other products we are developing. This is just the tip of the iceberg we are growing and expanding our market to meet our customer’s needs.

So if you’re doing the math, if you list for example:
§  5 Featured businesses (YOU earn €99.99)
or
§  5 Premium businesses (YOU earn €149.99)
or
§  3 Social Media (YOU earn €300)

That’s a nice little package, who couldn’t use the extra income?

We will provide all of the necessary training, and make sure all of your questions are answered.  The technology used to build the directory, was chosen because of its simplicity.
It is very simple to upload to.  So, we would like to hear from you if you know a lot of businesses in the area, you do not have an aversion in approaching people, and you would like a little more money just for talking to people, and uploading their business straight into the directory.

Sell yourself to us with a great cover letter and relevant experience, let know the area you can cover and we’ll going from there. Please send it to glutenzone@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you
The Gluten Zone Team





Monday 29 February 2016

Kids Glutenzone Gluten Free Buns - Warning we are giving Rachel Allen a run for her money!!

There is no better way to teach our kids how to be awesome little chefs than let them lose in the kitchen making buns!! The presentation may not be perfect but they tasted awesome.


So what did she do? Well she:
- Sieved 100g Gluten Free self raising flour into a bowl
- Added 100g castor sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 100g olive oil butter (melted)
- Teaspoon of vanilla essence

Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.

Place into cake cases (we only have a small family so this made six buns which was loads for us.

Bake in oven at 180 degrees until brown on top (about 20 minutes)

We added left over Nutella as an easy topping once the buns were cooled. (I placed the Nutella in the microwave for a few seconds to soften).

And voila, awesome gluten free buns made by my mini me - well done Gracie!!