Key Lime Pie in Gluten-Free Whole Foods Crust is delicious

I thought it would be fun to make key lime pie for Thanksgiving while visiting my parents in Florida.  We bought a pre-made crust from Whole Foods and filled it with the following recipe from GourmetSleuth.  It was delicious and I would definitely make it again!

Key Lime Pie by GourmetSleuth
This is a recipe for "real" Key Lime pie. Real Key lime pie is not green and it does not have a soft "pudding" texture. The pie gets its true pale yellow color from the egg yolks that predominate the ingredient list. And the texture is a "firm custard".

Be careful that you don't over-bake the pie or it will be "rubbery". For best results use fresh Key Limes, not bottled juice. The traditional preparation does not put any meringue on the top of the pie. This is a very simple recipe and only takes a few minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to bake.


Servings: 5 - 6
I N G R E D I E N T S
Crust
16 graham crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cube (1/4 lb) margarine or butter

Pie
4 large or extra large egg yolks
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (approximately 12 Key limes)
2 teaspoons grated lime peel, green portion only

Whipping Cream For Garnish (Optional)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Crust:
Mix the ingredients and press them into a 9" pie plate. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly browned. Place on a rack to cool.

Pie Filling
Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow, don't over mix. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended (just a few seconds). Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350F for 12 minutes to set the yolks and kill any salmonella in the eggs.

Serving
If you are using the whipping cream garnish, prepare the cream. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Seasons 52 a healthy, gluten-free option

I ate last night at Seasons 52 in Boca Raton.  The staff was very accommodating and they had a gluten free menu.  All of the wait staff carry a PDA that has all of the allergen information in it for every dish on the menu.  Also, all of the entrees are 475 calories or less!

This is a chain, so check out their site and see if there's one near you.

Gluten-Free dining cards on your iPod

Having been a fan of the traditional printed version of a gluten-free dining card by Triumph  I was intrigued to learn there is now an electronic version available for free on iTunes. 

 Just go to iTunes and search the store for Gluten-Free.  The cards are available as a free application. On a side note - the search also pulled up some music - curious.  I did see some negative reviews online saying the text on the card can be hard to read, but its' an interesting thought.

Gluten Free and Low Glycemic Index - is this possible?

I've been interested in cooking Low GI for a while, but it felt overwhelming.  A friend gave me this book:  The New Glucose Revolution Low GI Gluten-Free Eating Made Easy: The Essential Guide to the Glycemic Index and Gluten-Free Living available here on Amazon.com.  

It still seems hard to handle, but I intend to keep chipping away at it.  One thing that has been bothering me for the past couple of years is how much of our food ends up being high in fat or sugar to compensate taste-wise for the no gluten.  So, I'm intrigued with some of the recipes in this book - including one for brownies.  I intend to try some of them out after Thanksgiving.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Gluten Free Cookie Bar by Arico is quite tasty

At our local North Texas Gluten Intolerance Group, I was given a sample of Arico Natural Foods Company's Almond Cranberry Gluten Free Cookie Bar.  There were so many other treats at the time it took me a while to get to it.  However, I finally ate it last night and boy was I glad.  It has almost a biscotti-like texture.  I would consider it moderately healthy - it has some fiber, some protein and not a ridiculous amount of carbs.  More importantly, it was quite filling and kept me going though a weight training workout.  Also, it's only 140 calories - which for many GF bars that size, you'd expect closer to 200 calories.  I will definitely be trying to find this on local shelves. For now, it's available online for sure.

DFW Gluten-Free christmas cookie swap

The North Texas Gluten Intolerance Group will be holding a cookie swap Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 at 10 AM at the Richland Hills Church of Christ.  They are asking everyone who is confident that they can bake safely gluten free to bring 4 dozen homemade gluten-free cookies to share.  They will provide large size ZipLock baggies for you to bring your cookies home in.  This way, everyone should leave with at least 3 dozen different kinds of cookies to take home!  It sounds like a blast!

Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread is delicious

Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread mix is easy to use and hits the spot.  I made it with baked acorn squash, grapes and rice crackers with goat cheese.  The cornbread was more like cake than a rougher corn texture and was quite tasty.  I ate it for snack for the past week.  Non-Gluten-Freers like it too as evidenced by my boyfriend's disappointment that I'd eaten the last piece yesterday.