and also a new diet...

my friends know me as a baker :) in fact, i might be known in some circles for my delicious vegan cupcakes. unfortunately, a fly has gotten stuck and is gooping up my proverbial batter.

when i got my new job here in boston, i got new health insurance. and then i decided to change doctors because i was so damn tired of the crappy service i got at my local health center. i had a great np there, but it didn't matter. i usually waited for her for 2 hours--even though i had an appointment. and the rest of the staff at the place were deplorable! so at the first visit with my new doctor, she looked through my past medical records. by the way, she was only looking through what i've had done since moving to boston. that's medical records for only 3 1/2 years. and guess what? IT'S 57 PAGES LONG! you might say i've had some issues.

anyway, as she was looking at this and looking at all the tests, symptoms, and mumbo-jumbo that's been going on in my life, she says, "i think you have a food allergy. i'm sending you to see our nutritionist."

fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago, after multiple lab tests and elimination diets, i have discovered that i have ncgs, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. this basically means i can no longer have gluten which is found in: wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, and commercial oats (due to cross-contamination). i've probably left something out. but now my eating world, and my baking world, has been shaken upside down.

now, i may be able to re-introduce some wheat gluten in the future, in small amounts. because i don't have celiac disease, i may be able to eat some wheat as long as i feel ok. we'll see. for now, i'm on a pretty strict diet--or at least i'm trying to be.

now, back to baking. i made some gluten free cupcakes for halloween that were delicious! but i don't have pictures of them. they were made from sorghum flour, white rice flour, and some cornmeal and i made them marbled vanilla and chocolate (with cocoa powder added to about 1/3 of the batter). no one knew they were gluten free! they just asked about the texture and i said i was experimenting with some cornmeal in the batter. YAY!

but today i was home from work (i love having mondays off), and decided to make some cookies. here you go...

gluten free, dairy free, egg free...


chocolate chip cookie crisps (i heavily adapted a wheat-free cookie recipe from Great Good Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan)

1 c sorghum flour
3/4 c cashews, toasted and cooled
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp canola oil
1/8 c honey
1/8 c white sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
4 tbsp vanilla almond milk
vegan chocolate chips

1. put the cornmeal in a food processor and pulse. this can make it a little finer to take the toothy grain down a bit in the cookie. place in a large mixing bowl.
2. put the cashews in the processor and create a fine meal or flour. add to the cornmeal. then add the sorghum flour, salt, and spices. mix well.
3. in a small bowl, mix together canola oil, honey, sugar, vinegar, and extracts. add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. you should be able to form little walnut-sized balls of dough that stick together nicely, but aren't too sticky. if the mixture is a little dry, add the almond milk, one tablespoon at a time. then add chocolate chips.
4. place the balls on a baking stone (or a cookie sheet with parchment). flatten and bake for about 12-13 minutes at 350 degrees.

the next time i make them, i will use 1/4 c of honey, not split honey/sugar. but i ran out of honey half way through! i would also use rice flour rather than cornmeal and almonds rather than cashews. the cornmeal is a texture thing, the almonds are a taste thing. but i have to say that i successfully made a chewy and yummy cookie without any gluten! moderate improvements and i might have something perfectly delicious :)