Gluten-Free Recipe: "Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake"

I really like the flavors of Orange and Chocolate combined. And, thanks to my wife's latest gluten-free recipe creation, I have a new and delicious way to enjoy this favored taste combination: the Gluten-Free "Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake"™, or "Chocolate Orange-Juice-Concentrate Cheesecake"™ (which would be more accurate)

This new cheesecake formula has moved the dessert into my "top 10 list" for now, and I have had the pleasure of enjoying two of these cakes in the past couple months - it is always good to double-test recipes before publishing (and, double-eat too!) I was hoping to share a more complimentary photo of the end-product, but my picture suffered a bit and does not really make the new cheesecake recipe look as good as it tastes; the piece cracked a bit getting it onto a plate... oh well. But, it is good enough to get the idea I hope:


I may be a bit biased about how great this Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake tastes, but I find it to be fabulous. Full of chocolate flavor, plenty smooth in texture, and a very sweet orange taste throughout too.

It reminds me a bit of a chocolate Tobler Orange (actually, I believe they changed the name of those to Terry's Chocolate Orange now - produced by Kraft foods), where chocolate combines wonderfully with the semi-pronounced taste of orange (from orange-oil). But, unlike those Terry's chocolate-oranges, this dessert does not get split into 20-segments resembling slices of an orange; in fact, if I had my way, it may only get split into 2 pieces... one for me, one for my wife :)

The recipe came about rather by accident: a lack of fresh oranges in the house made the move to frozen orange juice concentrate a move of desperation that resulted in taste sensation. In addition, it makes it much easier to make, since the need for fresh oranges has been removed. And, my wife made this recipe even easier by using standard chocolate-chips (so you do not need to worry about baker's chocolates and/or weighing chocolate). We hope you enjoy it!

Here is a link to the Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange-Juice Cheesecake Recipe on our website's recipe library. We're using an adapted crust from another one of our cheesecakes (from our cookbook), but any favorite crust should work fine. My preference for cheesecake crusts include ones featuring nut-meals, coconut, and the like. They are rather simplistic formulas, but very tasty.

And, though it should be obvious, this OJ Cheesecake is gluten-free and wheat-free, but not dairy-free. And, before anyone asks, I took the picture of the Orange a while back... it was not available for this recipe. It is actually what I believe to be a Satsuma-Mandarin-Orange that I got at Whole Foods, and I really liked how the leaves were still intact: made for a good photo.

Gluten Warning: Delight GF Magazine Holiday Issue, page 54,Texas Bean Soup In A Jar Recipe.

Hey everyone, I do not know if any of you readers subscribe to Delight Gluten-Free Magazine, but if you do, watch out for a problem with the recipe printed on page 54, caled "Texas Bean Soup In A Jar". The recipe (accidentally) calls for barley pearls / pearl barley.

Now, I have not seen this issue personally, but a gluten-free friend of the family that did see it sent me an Email asking me to inform people to be mindful of the fact that barley does contain gluten and that the magazine is *wrong*. All of us longer-term Celiac and gluten-free diet types may well know this, but just in case anyone less familiar with the limitations of the diet decides to cook the soup for themselves or for another person that must remain gluten-free, it could lead to a less than optimal holiday season.

Our friend Sande contacted the magazine, and the following is the exact message she received back from Vanessa Maltin, the Food and Lifestyle Editor, who also said to feel free to share this information.

"I know---it happened because a designer added in her own recipe after the article content had gone through proofing. She has been terminated from the Delight Staff. Julie is putting together a blast to send out to all subscribers notifying people about it and will be posting it on the website. " (Julie is Julie Ann Luse, the Editor in Chief)

Hopefully none of you readers has accidentally included the forbidden Barley in any gluten-free soups or other recipes because of this. This type of situation just reinforces what I tell everyone: always be well informed, know your gluten-free diet constraints well, and proceed with caution (the latter part being more targeted to gluten-free foods and ingredients purchases; but, I guess it also applies to taking recipes for face-value too).

Thanks for the heads-up Sande!

Gluten-Free Ultimate Mouse Bait

The above pictures show a recent gluten-free cheesecake recipe we were experimenting with. This was to be a gluten-free peanut-butter-cup cheesecake of sorts (peanut butter cheesecake, with peanut-infused crust, all topped with a chocolate layer). Well, even though it *looks* rather good, it was just "OK", and needed some more fine tuning.

So, the question became: what to do with an entire cheesecake that does not meet the cut?

To begin with, I ate a fair amount of this cake myself. Like I said, it did not meet the cut for what I consider "top of the line" desserts, so the recipe will get tuned further before release to the public. But, it was not TOO bad,... it mainly suffered from texture issues, and was a bit thicker/springier than I wanted. It lacked some of the smoothness and creaminess that it should have had (I think there was too much peanut butter proportionately, and the next attempt should perhaps use part Marscapone cheese instead of all Cream Cheese - which is substantially thicker than the former).

But, I tired of this cake, and contemplated its removal from the house.

Perhaps the Mouse / Mice will like it?!
Instead of just pitching the cake into the compost, I decided to address a second issue of the moment (or season)... one that is an inevitability of country-living from what I have determined through conversations with everybody else living in a 20 mile radius here in the country: mice!

Well, it turns out that this time of year is especially prone to mice wanting to move into the house. When the farmers pick the crops and return the fields to nothing more than a bit of thatch, the mice seem compelled to seek refuge in some place a little more stable - and warmer - the closest human residence!

Trapping with Cheesecake
We use these really effective no-kill traps (we refuse to kill animals that are not of any threat to us). And, experimentation with baits had previously determined that the only thing more desirable than cheese was peanut-butter. So, how about a gluten-free peanut-butter-cup cheesecake instead?

The results are clear: mice prefer this cheesecake to all other bait by a factor of about 4 to 1. Seriously. They will ignore traps containing just cheese, and/or just peanut butter, and choose the mouse-bait recipe containing both of their favorite ingredients in one -- PB Cheesecake.

One of our catches:

Isn't it cute? The leaves around it should give a sense of scale... it is only about 2 inches long (tail excluded).

This one had very distinctive markings: those little tan patches on each side coupled with gray. Most mice have been either all gray or all tan, but this one was a hybrid. And, after release, it posed nicely for the picture, holding still for nearly a minute as I talked to it and told it not to return (I do no think my speech helped: I swear this SAME one showed up for "seconds" 2 days later). Oh well. I have a lot of cake for it to eat while I figure out where it gets in.

And Another...
We have also had these ultra-cute "Meadow Jumping Mice" (credit: picture borrowed from someone else online -- ours looked identical, but did not hold still for a photo):

These guys are SUPER TINY... barely 1-1.5" around when sitting like this. And, they "hop" around like little kangaroos. We see them hopping around outside the basement windows every so often, collecting grass and seeds (and, probably hauling that back into some nook of our house.). They might as well be a wild pygmy hamster or pygmy gerbil or whatever. Very, very similar. Too bad I got rid of the aquarium when we moved, or I would have been tempted to have one as a "pet".

Eradication continues...
I still have a lot of that gluten-free peanut-butter cheesecake recipe (attempt) in the fridge where it should last long enough for me to figure out where these little critters are entering the place from. Although they are cute and all, I wish I could just enter into a pact or accord with them whereby I deliver the cheesecake to some OUTSIDE location for their consumption, and they stay out of my house, instead of me needing to bait the no-kill traps that then force me to take them for a nice long walk out into the woods or field for release. But, such is... country living!

Kozy Shack Gluten-Free Chocolate Pudding Review

I almost always cook gluten-free pudding from scratch (chocolate pudding being my favorite) using the recipe right out of our cookbook. But, on occasion (like when going to the grocery store hungry!) the convenience of a pre-made chocolate pudding is appealing, and during the last trip to the store, I actually found this Kozy Shack brand gluten-free chocolate pudding that I gave in and purchased.

The deciding factors for the purchase: clearly labeled "gluten-free" on the back, and the ingredient list was not too far from "homemade" (the only difference being the addition of carrageenan; a thickener / gum). Aside from that, it is just what you might expect in a chocolate pudding recipe: milk, sugar, tapioca starch, cocoa, salt, and natural flavorings. I had other pudding options to look over in the store at the same time, and the "competition" (that lost out) all suffered from a variety of issues like not being labeled gluten-free, or being full of artificial stuff, or even more gums and thickeners, etc. Kozy Shack passed my first test, and now it just had to make it home for the taste-test...

Taste and Texture
This pudding is really, really good! The thickness/consistency is nearly perfect: it is not too thick (not over-gummed!), but instead it is in my opinion just right - the thickness that a good pudding should present with. Kozy Shack is definitely satisfying with a smooth and creamy texture, and plenty of chocolate flavor from ample amounts of cocoa. It tastes natural from start to finish - no chemical/artificial taste or aftertaste like some other puddings I have encountered in the past. This Kozy Shack chocolate pudding is quite similar to a homemade gluten-free chocolate pudding in both taste and texture, but without the effort of cooking yourself.

The container I found was 22-ounces in size, which is to yield about 6 servings of 1/2 cup each, and 140 calories each. Well, this is where my only problem comes in: I consider this container to be about two servings -- one for me, and one for my wife :) We both really loved the pudding, and it definitely did not last long. We could use the excuse of "getting our calcium and protein" in our gluten-free diet perhaps, but the fact is, it just really tasted great and made for a nice dessert / snack.

I give this Kozy Shack gluten-free dessert a definitely-positive recommendation. Now, I look forward to trying their OTHER desserts / snacks, which include tapioca pudding, flan, and some others - including sugar-free varieties and soy-pudding varieties (presumably targeting dairy-free diets). I checked the Kozy Shack web site to see what their gluten-statement is, and it says:

Is Kozy Shack gluten-free?

Kozy Shack puddings, flans, and gels are gluten-free.

I like being able to quickly locate that type of Celiac-friendly information, both on the web, and on the physical products... now I need to track down that flan of theirs to evaluate - and in two varieties! Yum!

Gluten-Free Jennies Carob Macaroon Review

There are plenty of times when my sweet tooth requires quick attention and I just do not feel like baking a gluten-free dessert from scratch to satisfy the "need" for a cookie, cake, or similar treat. When this situation arises (all too often), it is nice to have a few gluten-free snacks around that fit the bill -- like this Jennies Macaroon (carob variety).

In one word: SWEET!
This small 2-ounce cookie (which by the way is not quite photogenic as you can see below, as it resembles a mound or pile of some sort. lol), is just packed with sweetness from the honey contained in the recipe. In fact, there are 34-grams of sugar in this cookie, which is a bit extreme, but guaranteed to satisfy any sugar cravings you have (and, also why I quite often split this cookie into two separate servings).


But, sweetness aside, there is plenty of flavor from the coconut and carob to provide satisfaction too. The carob bears some similarity to chocolate, but yet has subtle differences; either way, it is a nice taste for me. And, this cookie is actually a "high fiber cookie" (in my opinion) thanks to all that coconut fiber, weighing in with a whopping 6-grams of dietary fiber per cookie too.

The product's gluten-free recipe is a simple one, as one would expect of a macaroon (certainly a homemade macaroon would have a similar recipe), with the ingredients label showing only these items in the formula: unsweetened sulfite-free coconut, honey, carob, and egg whites. Period. I always love such simplicity in commercial recipes and appreciate the attention to keeping the recipe free of any chemicals, preservatives, colors, or artificial anything. This is how a purchasable celiac-friendly snack should be!

I have found these gluten-free cookies at a couple local stores, but not widespread. So, there is always the official Jennies Macaroon official website where you can buy them -- including, this rather wonderful sounding order option of 144 macaroons at a time :) Wow! 144... a gross of cookies!? That would keep even me busy for a long, long time. The nice thing about buying in such large quantities is the ability to get that price-point below $1/cookie (the website lists 144 for $125), but then again, unless I have a lot of help eating them, it probably is not a bargain. Anyone nearby want to "go in on a gross" of macaroons with me? he he he

Bottom line: great product. Super sweet. Great taste (I also like the regular coconut macaroon variety, and I have not had a chance to try the dutch-chocolate version, but I suspect it is just fine). Semi-reasonable price for a convenient form of a gluten-free dessert when you do not have time to bake your own. Recommended.

Gluten-Free Recipe : Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant Dip)

Gluten-Free Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant Dip) makes for a flavorful and versatile appetizer, side dish, or salad. One serving suggestion (pictured above)... We placed the baba ghanoush on a small plate surrounded by gluten-free vegetable chips (somewhat like potato chips, but instead these are made from things like sweet potato, taro, carrots, green beans, and other vegetables). A sprinkling of fresh-ground black pepper over the eggplant dip topped things off.

Baba Ghanoush (aka, Baba Ghannouj or Baba Ghannoug) has been a favorite appetizer / snack of ours for years, and this recipe is one Laura created and tuned according to our tastes in order to bring forth the mildly smokey roasted eggplant (aubergine) flavor in conjunction with a bit of warmth from whatever types of pepper(s) we choose, and presented with the complementary flavors of garlic, lemon, and tahini (sesame paste). We will also add other accent flavors on an as-desired basis; spices like cumin work well, and dried smoked peppers (chipotles, anchos, poblanos) are always a nice optional addition too.

We serve this regularly, in a gluten-free manner, with things like tortilla chips, gluten-free pretzels, and vegetable chips (as pictured above) to name a few. There are many possibilities for variations and serving suggestions, so experiment with whatever sounds good. If you have some gluten-free breads or pita chips around, those may work nicely too.

And, another great thing about this recipe is that it comes in quite handy at the end of the eggplant growing season, when you may either have a few extra eggplants you do not otherwise know what to do with, or if you happen to stumble upon a bargain on eggplant (that was our luck this time: we purchased a whole pile of small eggplants for 15-cents each where a local farmer market was getting ready to close down for the season!)

The Recipe and Directions

We posted the recipe, along with some additional pictures and discussion, over on our gluten-free recipes library at our gluten-free dessert cookbook website. It is dairy-free, vegan, wheat-free, and gluten-free. And, even without dairy, it has a rather "creamy" texture, about the thickness of sour cream of similar. Here is a direct link to the Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant Dip) Recipe.

Hope you enjoy it!

Walmart, Water, and Inflation

We tend to keep a few gallons of distilled water on hand for things like the coffee-maker and similar uses, but I think we may just have given up on buying the gallon jugs of distilled water for good: the price is ridiculous!

Thankfully I do not "need" distilled water for my gluten-free recipes or drinking water, as we have seen the price rise from a low of two gallons for 99-cents just 2 or 3 years back, to 68-cents/gallon last year, and now to a new unbelievable high of 88-cents per gallon (and, this is all comparisons of WalMart prices). OUCH!

This last move from 68-to-88 cents/gallon represents an annual inflation rate of 30-percent! Or, the move from 50-cents to 88-cents, though over a few years, represents compound annual inflation of 20-percent (for 3 years). And yet, the government publishes CPI (Consumer Price Index) information claiming there is zero inflation (actually, they claimed it was negative inflation the past year). Part of that "zero inflation" bunk is due to how they keep excluding the "volatile food and energy" category, which affects a lot of us substantially, from the CPI, so that we (i.e., the government) can paint a rosy picture of negligible inflation to match the negligible (or negative) wage growth.

Perhaps I should have posted this gluten-free blog entry over on my other Financial and Technology Blog instead, but I find that this food and energy inflation directly affects my gluten-free life as I watch prices soar on most everything in my diet, while the government proclaims flat-line inflation. This is exactly why we tend to bake and cook nearly all our own foods -- we do not often purchase pre-made gluten-free items, aside from gluten-free snack foods and gluten-free beer that I should perhaps cut back on anyhow; lol. And, we also grow a lot of our own vegetables already; something that we need to ramp up even further in the coming years to keep costs down.

All of this would be less upsetting if there was some way to earn a return (on investments) that could equal the inflation in daily products. But, the same government CPI number that says we have essentially-zero inflation is also used to ensure the government pays you zero on investments in their own debt-instruments too: e.g., "I-Bonds" (i.e., inflation protected bonds), which are now quite literally paying ZERO because the supposed inflation rate the last 6-12 months was negative. Good luck making up for that distilled-water price-increase with I-Bond "earnings"! And, we all know what savings-rates and CD-rates in the bank are like... surely nothing near 20% annual to match my distilled-water price increase! Arghghgh!

The bottom line: there must be some significant supply/demand imbalance going on somewhere in the "food chain" (or water chain) to justify these prices. I realize energy prices directly affect the manufacture (i.e., distillation) of water, but 20% increase every year?? I want to source as much of my own gluten-free diet products as possible, but just in case I decide I want some affordable distilled water to go with what we grow, cook, and bake, I need to find a good affordable solar-powered water-distillation unit or some such thing. :)