MRS. GABBY’S KITCHEN - A GLUTEN-FREE ADVENTURE
Welcome to Mrs. Gabby's Kitchen
Gluten-Free and Lactose-Free Recipes
Most of the recipes in this blog can also be made with Gluten and Lactose.
Hello, my name is Lalina Franklin, I am the wife of Peter Franklin and I get very chatty when I write. No need to read all my chatter. If you want, scroll down till you get to the recipes. But in my chatter, there are things you might like to know.
If you are here at ‘Mrs. Gabby’s Kitchen’ you probably heard about it from my husband, Peter Franklin, also known as ‘The Gabby Cabby’ the world over.
I stopped posting to this blog for a few years so there hasn’t been any updating till Sunday, March 22, 2020, when Peter posted his ‘true tales’ for the week. Check out Gabby.com which also will take you on to podcasts that Peter has been doing off and on for a long time. They are wonderful!
With everyone spending more time indoors, I thought I might be of help to those of you who live a gluten and lactose-free life, which can be extremely expensive, by posting recipes you can use. No, I was not always gluten or lactose intolerant, my mission has been to convert my original recipes to be gluten and lactose-free while making up or riffing off of recipes that caught my eye.
Our first date was December 21, 1972. I began cooking for Peter about a year later when I realized how expensive it was to eat out. The first meal I made was “Hamburger Helper” from a box! Upon reflection, I knew that I could riff off that boxed meal and go my own way. I have loved cooking since then, and Peter loves eating what I cook.
He does the cleanup. Don’t think he loves it. :)
I was diagnosed gluten intolerant several years ago. When I first heard this diagnosis, I panicked. What is there to eat! Certainly no breadstuff, no cookies, and cakes, I already couldn’t eat a lot of stuff due to a lactose intolerance going back to 1979!
Once I calmed myself down and realized that since I was the master of the kitchen, and I made most things from scratch, the only problems I would have is when we went out to eat. Now instead of making sure the item I want does not contain dairy - butter and yogurt and most cheeses are ok with my tummy. I also have to check to see that the item is wheat, gluten-free and also poultry free! Poultry free you say? Why?
I was told to stay away from poultry when I was diagnosed gluten-free, but I was not told why. It so happens that some people like me can’t have poultry that has been fed gluten. Eggs also fall in that category. I have to get poultry that is fed a gluten-free diet. I find that free-range, 100% vegetarian-fed poultry and eggs work for me. Here in New York City we can actually get poultry; chicken, turkey and I think even cornish hens that are fed a gluten-free diet. So, at home, I can have poultry and I take a gluten-free turkey if we go to one of our children’s houses for thanksgiving!
All chicken and turkey broth in my recipes are also gluten-free.
I began to slowly turn my old recipes into new recipes and I began experimenting with bread and pasta and pies and cakes after having had that initial panic when told that I was gluten intolerant. I decided that I should share my recipes with anyone who would care to try them. You are getting the best of my experiments and also some of my regular recipes since I have had to write them down.
After cooking for more than 40 years, I very rarely use measuring spoons. To write my recipes down in gluten and lactose-free versions is taking time. I use measuring spoons, cups and a scale when I make bread or cakes. Most everything up to now has been eyeballing you could say :). But to make sure you get the recipe I want to give you, I first convert my recipes by measuring everything and then cooking them again, some several times, using the measurements I figured out are correct.
All the recipes in my blog are gluten-free. Some naturally, some by design… But, they can all be made by using all-purpose wheat flour with a few exceptions such as pie crusts, breads, and desserts. I hope you enjoy my recipes and they come out well for you.
I should mention here that all my recipes are lactose-free as I am also lactose intolerant. Please make sure that the dairy products that I mention are ok with your tummy. After years of being lactose intolerant, I have discovered some things that I am ok with; most cheeses, yogurt, and butter. I am so used to being lactose intolerant that it is natural for me to cook lactose-free and Peter and the children don’t even think about our kitchen being a lactose-free kitchen.
Now that lactose-free milk is available as well as lactose-free ice creams, sour cream, and cottage cheese, I have found that on those occasions when I eat cream cheese for instance, if I have some of the lactose-free milk soon after, I don’t get sick.
Please be very careful of the “lactose freeness” in my recipes. While I am ok with hard cheeses, yogurt, and butter you might not be. I don’t want you to get sick so go with what you use when you are cooking lactose-free. I used to use non dairy coffee creamer when I made frosting before lactose-free milk became available.
Nowadays, non dairy milks and vegan products are readily available, lucky you.
Have you tried “Ghee”, which is “Clarified Butter” that is cooked a little farther so all the lactose is cooked off. It can be made at home, I will post a recipe for ghee soon. Peter, who is extremely lactose intolerant, seems to do fine with the homemade ghee. Ghee is the fat, lactose is the carbohydrate which is what makes us ill.
All my recipes have been approved by Peter, my husband. He loves my cooking and I have had to make sure everything I cook still tastes as good as and the same as they did BEFORE.
At our table, everything is gluten-free and lactose-free for anyone who sits with us to eat. Unless I make a point of it, no one is even aware that they are eating a “lactose and gluten-free” meal.
The most important thing I discovered in using gluten-free flours for baking was that it was necessary to weigh the flours on a scale rather than using a measuring cup. I use an old digital postal scale. It works for me!
I used to make THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE with all-purpose wheat flour. Now, of course, I make it gluten-free. 2 ¾ cups all-purpose wheat flour can be used in place of the gluten-free flour blend, and regular milk in place of Lactaid milk. I have not tried this recipe with plant-based milk.
In using my recipes you need to know to add salt to fit your taste buds. As I cook with the least amount of salt or no salt. Always taste the food before the final steps of your preparation so you can adjust the seasoning.
When I write recipes I write t for teaspoon, T for tablespoon, c for a cup. Also, I just say milk or flour, unless I specify the kind of flour I used. Remember that I am gluten as well as lactose intolerant and all milk and flour I use are gluten and lactose-free.
Have fun with your gluten-free and lactose-free cooking.
Enjoy!
Lalina Franklin
Mrs. Gabby’s Kitchen
GLUTEN-FREE and LACTOSE-FREE cooking.
Each week a new recipe will be added to the blog. Some weeks I might add more than one to get caught up. And occasionally none at all! So please visit the blog at least once a week to check out what is cooking in our kitchen.
TIPS:
7.5.2020
ANT KILLER
We seem to have a problem with black ants. I don’t like to use bug spray and the little ant bait that can be bought at the supermarket hasn’t been working, so I decided to see what is there to be done on You tube and found several recipes. As I had borax in the house, I decided to use the borax, sugar and water recipe. Then added a bit of honey to make the stuff even sweeter.
So here goes:
Borax - 1T
Sugar - 3 T
Honey – 1 t
Water – warm so the sugar dissolves easier and enough to make a paste.
Mix the borax, sugar and honey together. Add enough to make into a thick paste. Pour few teaspoons into several small lids from beer bottles or soda bottles or mini muffin liners.
Place in areas that you have ant problem. The ants will gather into the bottle caps and die, and some will scurry off to the nest after eating some of the syrupy stuff which will kill off ants in the nest.
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LIST OF GLUTEN AND LACTOSE-FREE BRANDS THAT I USE, you can use what you are used to.
Barilla gluten-free pastas
Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
Kirkland Signature spices and herbs
Heinz sauces
San-J gluten-free sauces
Daiya vegan “cheezes” and sauces
Hunt tomato products
Lactaid products
Silk products
Maggie coconut milk powder
Chao cheese
Mccormick spices and herbs
Badia spices and herbs
Bob’s red mill gluten-free products
Glutino gluten-free products
Thai kitchen coconut milk
Libby’s products
Betty Crocker gluten-free products
Manshewitz gluten-free products
Fleishman’s yeasts
SAF bulk yeast
Yehuda gluten-free products
Filippo Bario olive oils
Rainbow brand frozen fish
RECIPE INDEX
I have been rather sporadic in updating this blog. I do have loads of recipes. As soon as I can cook, edit and proofread them, I shall begin adding them here for you.
The following list is to show you what recipes are available on this blog at this time.
Very important tip: measure out what you need and set aside. Put away boxes and jars, so your counter is clutter free. It is so much easier and faster to cook with that initial preparation. If you clean up bowls, measuring spoons etc. as you cook, by the end of cooking your meal your kitchen will be mostly cleaned up too.
I have decided that I should write up a list of the recipes in the order they appear on the blog. To find this list, scroll to the bottom of the Recipe Index.
BEEF:
Beef goulash - 3. 31. 2020
Chinese meatballs - 4. 27. 2020
Chinese orange beef – 8. 3. 2020
Chili with rice – 8. 31. 2020
Corned beef hash - 11. 13. 2011
Meat sauce - 1. 19. 2012
Meatballs and spaghetti -
Meatloaf with sundried tomato gravy -
We call it Salisbury Steak – 8. 15. 2020
Yum yums
CONDIMENTS:
Bread and Butter Pickles
Hoisin sauce
Strawberry Jam
DAIRY:
Lactose free homemade cream-cheese 7.5.2020
DESSERT/CANDY:
Apple tart - 1. 11. 2011
Crystallized ginger
Frosting and filling for the perfect chocolate cake - 1. 21. 2012
Pumpkin muffins - 10. 29. 2011
Pecan pie - 1. 11. 2011
Pumpkin pie - 1. 11. 2011
Red velvet cake - 1. 30. 2012
Saucy chocolate cakes - 3. 16. 2012
The perfect chocolate cake - 1. 21. 2012
DRESSINGS, DIPS, and GRAVIES:
Chestnut dressing - 1. 11. 2011
Cranberry orange sauce - 1. 11. 2011
Fresh made Caesar dressing for a Caesar salad -
Hummus - 7. 25. 2013
Quick peanut sauce – 9. 8. 2020
Turkey giblet gravy - 1. 11. 2011
EGGS:
No recipe, recipe of a kale and rice bowl topped with an egg – 7. 12. 2020
FRUIT:
GRAINS:
GLUTEN-FREE BAKING:
A very important tip about baking gluten-free bread - 5. 25. 2013
Blueberry and rosemary scones – 8. 25. 2020
Buns - 4. 2020
Burger buns - 2. 13. 2012
Cornbread - 1. 11. 2011
Gluten-free Challah - 7. 25.2013
Gluten-free bialy - 7. 25. 2013
Gluten-free breadcrumbs - 7. 20. 2013
My really favorite sandwich bread - 5. 25. 2013
Pancakes and waffles - 3. 29. 2020
Peter’s recipe of cream cheese on a bagel with sweet relish
Pie dough - 3. 26. 2013
LAMB:
LEGUMES:
NO RECIPE RECIPES:
Chicken cacciatore - 5. 13. 2020
Chinese roast poark with rice and broccoli – 7. 25. 2020
Salad for a picnic lunch – 8. 1. 2020
Tomato soup – 5. 14. 2020
PASTA:
Lasagna - 1. 20. 2012
Macaroni and cheeses - 2. 6. 2012
Macaroni and cheezes - 4. 5. 2020
Our favorite spaghetti with tomato sauce – 6. 19. 2020
Salmon spaghetti I - 6. 1. 20
Spaghetti Nipponese - 3. 22. 2020
PORK:
Chinese roast pork made with homemade hoisin sauce - 7. 15. 2020
A no recipe, recipe of chinese roast pork with rice and broccoli 7. 25. 2020
Thai pork and green beans with red curry paste - 1. 1. 2012
POULTRY:
Chicken goulash - 4. 18. 2020
Chicken parmesan/chicken fingers - 7.11. 2020
Chicken with herbed dumplings -
Chicken yakitori that wasn’t -
Chow mien - 2. 6. 1012
Roasted turkey with aromatics - 1. 11. 2011
Shredded chicken with spaghetti and peanut sauce – 9. 8. 2020
ROOTS:
Air Fryer potato cubes
Gluten-free sweet potato latke - 7. 25. 2013
Mashed sweet potato - 1. 11. 2011
SANDWICHES:
Boiled egg and smoked salmon on toast - 1. 30. 2013
Grilled cheese sandwich - 4. 7. 2020
My favorite sandwich bread - 5. 25. 2013
Reuben sandwich - 2. 02. 2020
SEAFOOD:
Cod in savory sauce - 7. 3. 2013
Cod with tomato/chorizo sauce - 4. 24. 2020
Clam sauce from canned chopped clams - 8. 7. 2013
Salmon spaghetti I - 6.1.2020
No recipe, recipe for shrimp and rice - 8.27. 2020
Slow baked salmon with lemon, brown sugar, etc. - 12. 17. 2011
Spicy shrimp and asparagus over rice - 4. 26. 2020
Spicy shrimp and spinach flavored with lemon and served over spaghetti - 4. 26. 2020
SEEDS/NUTS:
Chestnut dressing - 1. 11. 2011
Karsha Varnishkes or buckwheat with bowties, gravy, and caramelized onions - 1.11.2011
Kasha with Leeks and Pecans - 12. 09.2013
SOUPS:
Chicken noodle soup -
Lentil tomato soup - 11. 1. 2011
Tomato soup - 4. 7. 2013
Turkey noodle soup - 1. 11. 2011
Vegetable soup - 3. 6. 2013
THANKSGIVING MENU 2011
Roasted turkey with aromatics - 1. 11. 2011
Turkey giblet gravy - 1.11. 2011
Chestnut dressing - 1. 11. 2011
Cranberry orange sauce - 1. 11. 2011
Corn pudding - 1. 11. 2011
Cornbread - 1. 11. 2011
Karsha Varnishka or buckwheat with bow ties, gravy, and caramelized onions - 1.11.2011
Mashed sweet potato - 1. 11. 2011
Brussels sprouts with apples and bacon - 1. 11. 2011
Roasted green beans with sliced almonds - 1. 11. 2011
Apple tart - 1. 11. 2011
Pecan pie - 1. 11. 2011
Pumpkin pie - 1. 11. 2011
Turkey noodle soup - 1. 11. 2011
TIPS:
Mostly food-related, some not. I have removed TIPS from the site until I can update them. And add more!
Ant killer
Freezing leftovers for a subsequent meal
VEGETABLES:
No recipe, recipe for shrimp and rice
Brussels sprouts with apples and bacon - 1. 11. 2011
Corn pudding - 1. 11. 2011
Creamed spinach – 6. 17. 2020
Roasted green beans with sliced almonds - 1. 11. 2011
Salad for a picnic lunch – 8. 1. 2020
No recipe, recipe for a kale and rice bowl topped with an egg – 7. 12. 2020
Recipes from newest to oldest as they appear on the blog:
Yum yums
Shredded chicken with spaghetti and peanut sauce
Quick peanut sauce
Chilie with rice
Shrimp and rice
Blueberry and rosemary scones
We call it Salisbury streak
Chinese orange beef
Salad for a picnic lunch
A no recipe, recipe of Chinese roast pork with rice and broccoli
Peter’s bagel with cream cheese and sweet relish
Chinese roast pork with homemade hoisin sauce
Hoisin sauce within the Chinese roast pork recipe
No, recipe, recipe for a kale and rice bowl topped with an egg
Ant killer in tips
Homemade lactose-free cream cheese
Our favorite spaghetti with tomato sauce
Creamed spinach
Salmon spaghetti I
Cilantro lime dressing, with a No Recipe, Recipe for chicken tenders
No recipe tomato soup
Air Fryer potato cubes
No recipe chicken cacciatore
Crystalized or candied ginger
Spicy shrimp and spinach flavored with lemon and served with spaghetti
Chinese meatballs
Cod with tomato/chorizo sauce and green beans and rice
Oatmeal cookies with raisins
Chicken goulash
Buns *
Macaroni and cheeze
Beef goulash
Pancakes and waffles
Spaghetti nipponese
Kasha with leeks and pecans
How to make a gluten free thanksgiving meal that is delicious
Gluten free sweet potato latke
Gluten free challah
Kasha with leeks and pecans
Hummus
Spicy shrimp and asparagus over rice
Gluten free bialy
Cod in savory sauce
Chicken with herbed dumplings
Meatloaf with sundried tomato gravy*
Clam sauce from canned chopped clams
Gluten free breadcrumbs
A very important tip about baking gluten free bread
Chicken yakitori that wasn’t!
Chicken parmesan/chicken fingers
My really favorite sandwich bread
Bread and butter pickles and strawberry jam
My favorite sandwich bread
Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich
Pie dough
Vegetable soup
Saucy chocolate cakes
Frosting and filling for the perfect chocolate cake
Boiled egg and smoked salmon on toast
Chow mein
Macaroni and cheeses
Ruben sandwich
The perfect chocolate cake
Lasagna
Meat sauce
Thai pork and green beans with red curry paste and jasmin rice
Red velvet cake
Meatballs and spaghetti
Fresh made caesar dressing for a caesar salad
Slow baked salmon with lemon brown sugar etc. julienned vegetble and couscous or (gf grain of choice)
Thanksgiving menu 2011:
Roasted turkey with aromatics
Turkey giblet gravy
Chestnut dressing
Cranberry orange sauce
Corn pudding
Cornbread
Mashed sweet potato
Roasted green beans with sliced almonds
Brussels sprouts with apples and bacon
Karsha varnishka or buckwheat with bowties, gravy and caramelized onions
Apple tart
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie
Turkey noodle soup
Corned beef hash
Lentil tomato soup
Chicken noodle soup
Pumpkin muffins
Meatloaf with sundried tomato and gravy****
*when I made buns today, I used the kichen aid stand mixer. The buns were fluffier and softer. Also, as i made a double batch. I made half of it as sliders, slightly larger. And to the other half added I 2 t of ground caraway seeds and 2 t of whole carraway seeds to give the buns a mock rye flavor.
*When I made meatloaf this time, I made it a little differently. I did not sauté the vegetables. I rough chopped the sundried tomato in olive oil I diced the pepper, used yellow bell into ¼” dice. I mixed everything in the stand mixer with the paddle. I made the meat loaf into 4 mini loafs that I baked for 45 minutes. And the meat loaf mixture that was left over after filling the mini loaves to the top was just enough to make 2 burgers. So, I made two patties to have for dinner on the burger buns that I had just made. As it is only the two of us baking 4 mini loaves makes a lot more sense. Once cooled I wrapped the loaves in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer! Now I have four meals for when I don’t feel like cooking.