Buckwheat Blinchiki (Naleśniki)

My Russian tutor mentioned blinchiki (filled blini, or crepes) the other day and I woke up yesterday thinking about them.  However, my early morning daydream centered on buckwheat blini and my mind wandered to a Polish version for the filling I had tasted many years ago in Detroit.  So here was yesterday’s breakfast:  blinchiki (or naleśhniki, in Polish) freshly made from scratch and filled with a sweetened cottage cheese, sour cream and egg mixture.

I first tasted these heavenly treats at a Polish festival in downtown Detroit the summer of 1971—and I went crazy for them.  Like all good Polish-Ukrainian girls, I wanted to make them myself, so after my aunt gave me a Polish cookbook (Polanie Club’s Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans, 1973), I tried them.  I wasn’t much of a cook back then and it was a miserable failure (I didn't know the Russian saying: Первый блин коман, which translates to: the first blini is always ruined, or I would have tried again!), but I kept the cookbook on my shelf and some thirty years later I tried them again.  This time they were heavenly and took me right back to that hot summer day in Detroit.

The big difference, of course, is that these blinchiki will not cause bloating and other nasty symptoms, because these babies are gluten-free.  My body doesn’t rebel when this mixture of buckwheat and all-purpose gluten-free flour hits my digestive system.  And the whole grain goodness of the buckwheat keeps my blood sugar from spiking and sending me into sugar shock. How did I do it, you ask? Here’s how:

Buckwheat Crepes 

(from The Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook, Nicola Graimes)

1/3 cup each buckwheat and all-purpose gluten-free flour 

(I used Jules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour)

pinch of salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup each water and milk (recipe calls for dairy-free, I used 1% milk)

3T butter (recipe calls for dairy-free margarine, I used 2 T unsalted butter)

Cheese Filling 

(I used the one from The Russian Tea Room Cookbook then ad libbed)

1 lb large curd cottage cheese (strained) or farmer cheese or Tvorog 

(I used about 2/3 cup cottage cheese)

1 egg (I used half an egg)

1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup superfine sugar)

(I added 1/4 cup each nonfat plain Greek yogurt and nonfat sour cream because my filling was too watery given the lack of cottage cheese.  This makes it more like a Polish cream filling)

This is how I made them: whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and add the wet, then add 2 T of melted butter.  Heat a pan with a little more butter and make thin crepes.  When one side is done, spoon a heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of the uncooked side of the crepe.  Let it cook briefly then fold over one side of the crepe, then the other, then after it starts to puff up, roll it over.  Let is puff up again and slide it out onto your plate.  Top with a bit of jam.

Don't blame me if you go back for seconds!

Karen, herself

Lentil Soup with Ham

Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup with Ham

There is more than just a chill in the air today.  It is downright cold, rainy and blustery in the Seattle area.  It was the kind of day where you hated to go outside.  Perfect for a steaming bowl of spicy soup.  This soup is from The Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook, by Nicola Graimes.  I cubed a couple small gluten-free ham steaks and added them to the soup at the very end.  Even though it involves a good deal of chopping, I usually have it on the table in an hour.  You'll need only a cup of lentils, 5 cups of stock, an onion, six carrots (I used 3 huge organic ones) and one stick of celery and one potato (I used Yukon Gold), olive oil, bay leaf, chili powder, cumin, coriander and paprika, salt and pepper. The recipe calls for cilantro garnish, which I usually forget to buy (!)

I have made this soup entirely vegan and I have made it with ham, or with chicken or turkey sausage and chicken stock.  Today I used 4 cups chicken stock and one cup water. Check out the cookbook for the recipe. There are many good ones there.

Stay warm out there!

Karen, herself

France, Gluten Free

This is the shot that got me in trouble at Laduree on the Champs Elysee in Paris last July.  I was told (not so politely) that photos were not allowed.  In my defense,  I couldn't resist trying to capture the incredible beauty of all those naturally gluten free cookies.  I only wish I could have captured the aroma of freshly baked macaroons.  Needless to say, we bought a box...and then came back a few days later for another and had brunch there. It was Bastille Day and the parade was over, but the crowds were still there and it was raining, so we ducked into Laduree and had omelettes and tea and dessert, all totally gluten free and made to perfection.

I've been to France before and had very little trouble eating gluten free and am always surprised to hear when people are panicked over the prospect.  I spent about ten days there this past July, five days in Paris while my husband was there on business and several more in Brittany with my Aunt at her vacation home. I am not as sensitive to minor cross contamination, so I lived a bit dangerously and did not worry about eating the fries and just tried to stick to sauces that were wine reduction to avoid flour. Here are some of the highlights:

Dessert at La Fontaine de Mars (where President Obama ate on his trip to Paris, near the Eiffel Tower)

Chocolate Mousse and Berries with Pistachio Cream

Dinner at Willie’s Wine Bar (near the Palais Royale), where you can give them a list of your food intolerances and they will find the closest fit with their menu and then make substitutions.

Leek soup, beef with herbs and olive oil, Hazelnut Panna Cotta

Dinner with my Aunt: pork chops in cream and lemon thyme pound cake (which I made with almond meal and gluten free all purpose flour.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms. Lemon Thyme Pound Cake

Lemon Thyme Pound Cake
for cake:
200 g salted butter
200 g caster sugar
100 g all-purpose flour (or GF all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
100 g ground almonds (almond meal)
4 large eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. thyme leaves


for syrup:
4 T sugar
juice from 2 large lemons
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
loaf pan lined with parchment (I used a quiche pan)


Preheat oven to 325° F
Cream butter with sugar until pale and fluffy.
Sift flour and baking powder and add almonds.
Lightly beat eggs and fold them into the mixture in
2 or 3 sessions, beating in thoroughly.
Mix zest and thyme leaves and add to mixture.
Spoon into pan and bake (45 mins for loaf/25 mins quiche pan)


Dissolve sugar in lemon juice in saucepan and add thyme leaves.
Cook over moderate heat to make syrup.
Spike finished cake and pour syrup over.


(—recipe from a British magazine/newspaper article)

Obviously, the time spent with my Aunt was the easiest, because we had a kitchen and could cook for ourselves, but I also researched ahead of time and brought some gluten free things with me for treats as well as crackers to substitute for bread.  I found a Naturalia store (health food chain) online and went there the first day and bought GF bread to have for breakfast toast or for emergencies. Then I just told waiters that I needed to eat “sans gluten” and everything was fine.  In traditional cafes, I went with steak frites and avoided the sauce. I also ate moules frites (mussels and french fries) a few times and just avoided the bread they served with it. My bigger problem was that steak was too difficult for me to chew, given my TMJ issues.  Luckily, they don't overcook it there, so that made it a bit easier...as long as I cut into tiny pieces first.

So go to France and enjoy all the wonderful things it has to offer.  And leave the nasty gluten to everyone else.  You're not really missing that much.

Artichokes at the Farmer's Market, St. Brieuc, France

Karen, herself

Berry Crisp

Happy fourth of July!

Here's a recipe I adapted from the latest Weight Watcher's weekly handout.

2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
extra berries for top
3/4 cup Jules' gluten free all purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
pinch salt

Rinse berries and drain, place in bowl.  Mix sugar and flour, then sprinkle 3 T of the mixture over the berries.  Put berries into an 8" square pan.  Melt butter and mix with flour and sugar.  Dot on top of berries.  Bake in preheated oven (350°) for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle fresh reserved berries on top.  Serves 8.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

My topping did not brown as much as the WW one in their picture.  It may have been due to the gluten free flour.  Looks really good.  Can't wait to try it.  The WW version is 4 points (without the extra berries and the ice cream).

Have a happy holiday and stay gluten free...it's hard but it's worth it.

ps:  it tasted as good as it looked!
Karen, herself

Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

It's Memorial Day Weekend and I'm going to a a friend's place tomorrow and was asked to bring GF hamburger buns.  The only ones I know of are the Tapioca ones from Ener-G Foods, which are ok, but not great.  I searched online and found this recipe from Annalise Roberts and Claudia Pillow on another gluten free blog and tried it today.  Here is the result.  They look great.  I can only hope they taste as good as they look.  Haven't tried them yet as the recipe only made six and I wanted to take them all tomorrow.

If you're up for it, try them this weekend. Just follow the links above. I will be reporting back on the taste and with more photos after we try them!

Happy Holiday,

Karen, herself

Quinoa and Beet Salad with Tuna

Quinoa salad, tuna salad

3 cups red quinoa, cooked

1 green onion, sliced thinly

Italian parsley, chopped

1 roasted beet, diced

1 T lemon olive oil

1 T rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. dijon mustard

salt and pepper

I’ve been avoiding breads, pasta, and crackers in favor of whole grains of late and I created this quinoa salad by accident. I started out thinking that some green onion would be nice, then remembered I had parsley and then thought I would put in some left over roasted beet.  I dressed it with just a little vinaigrette made with my favorite olive oil (O and Co.'s  Au Citron). The result was sweet and savory and light. I made it for lunch one day and had enough to serve with dinner and several more lunches. I show it here with tuna salad, but it is also delicious with grilled chicken or fish.

My avoidance of bread has to do with my renewed efforts to control episodes of hypoglycemia and to fix my metabolism.  I recently found another program that is similar to The Schwartzbein Principle but that seems to fit more into my ongoing weight loss efforts with Weight Watchers — it's called Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads by Christine Avanti.  Christine is a nutritionist who, like Dr. Schwartzbein,  believes that fixing the metabolism is key to achieving optimum weight.  Her program involves eating protein and good carbs together with healthy fats (the PC combo) every 4 hours, keeping blood sugar even.  The difference is that the Skinny Chicks program is about 1400 calories per day which works out to be about 24 WW points and seems pretty compatible with Weight Watchers.

The one point that made me reevaluate what I have been doing is her recommendation to eat breakfast within one hour of waking and to never delay a meal. I tried this and noticed that I had fewer headaches.  I felt like slapping myself up the side of the head! I have known for years that I should never SKIP meals, but for some reason, I thought it was ok to DELAY my breakfast until after I exercised.  On my weigh-in days, I even delayed breakfast until after I weighed in...at 9:30 a.m.  I started wondering if this was triggering a 3-day headache in and of itself.  I also have been wondering if the calorie restriction of dieting itself was part of the problem.  So I am embracing eating by the numbers (21 g of protein and 30 g of carb per meal) and eating every four hours and having breakfast within one hour of waking.  So far, so good.  Headache days dropped from 4-5 to 1-2 per week. Not sure yet if it is a fluke.  It's only been three weeks, but it is incredible to get part of my life back.

Karen, herself

Happy Easter

Talking to my mother the week before Easter made me long for the Easter food I grew up with: Polish ham, fresh kielbasa and homemade Słodki Chleb, a sweet, egg bread with raisins. I often have this idea to recreate the old holidays, but since I left Detroit (over 30 years ago) I have never found a local source for fresh authentic Polish kielbasa. I thought Seattle must have such a place but in the nearly seven years I have lived here, I never found it...until this week. I discovered George’s Deli on Madison at Ninth Ave., and it was like a little bit of Slavic heaven on earth. Not only did I find kielbasa the likes of which I have not had outside of Detroit, but Kolachki (cookies) and Angel Wings and Polish horseradish.

Unfortunately, the cookies, bread, and potato pancake mixes were loaded with gluten. Happily, the kielbasa was not. Undeterred, I got out my grandmother's recipe for the sweet bread and my store of Jules’ Gluten Free Flour Mix and got to work. The recipe makes 2 loaves and takes 5 cups of flour, so I was a bit worried. What if it doesn't rise and I waste all that flour? Luckily, it rose like a champ and I have been nearly jumping around my kitchen with joy ever since. It was real bread. It was my grandmother's bread. It's aroma was intoxicating and the taste of it took me back to those Easter mornings of my childhood.

The kielbasa was to die for. I must have forgotten what real fresh kielbasa tastes like. It's not that heavy greasy stuff you get from the big name brands you find in the grocery. It's actually delicate and light and not greasy. The texture was soft. The garlic and herb taste was subtle, not heavy handed. If you want to know what real Polish kielbasa tastes like, go to George’s. For a gluten free version of Słodki Chleb, read on.

Grandma Cichon’s Słodki Chleb (Sweet Bread)

(makes 2 loaves)

3 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 heaping cup sugar

1 1/2 cups milk, warm

1 pkg. yeast ( I proof with sugar)

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

5 cups flour (I used Jules’ GF All Purpose)

raisins (optional)

Dissolve yeast in water. Beat eggs until light. Add sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and yeast mixture to eggs. Add flour, salt and nutmeg. Beat 200 times by hand (or 200 beats on medium with stand mixer with paddle). Let dough rise in large bowl (covered with cloth) until doubled in size (mine didn’t exactly double), about 1 1/2 hours. Beat down dough. Fill 2 greased loaf pans half full. Cover. Let rise again (usually GF flours don’t need this step but I did it anyway for about 30 minutes). Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes (mine took 45 mins.). Test for doneness. Let cool in oven with oven door open.

This bread is great just as it is, or toasted. Try it, you’ll like it.

Karen, herself