TSP Gluten-Free Flour Blend

My head spins when thinking about the selection of available gluten-free flours. There’s the ubiqitous family of rice flours—brown, white, and sweet. The starch sisters—tapioca, corn and potato. Sorghum, buckwheat, millet, teff, amaranth and corn flours. Non-grains like coconut flour, nut and bean flours. And, the unique flours—grape, mesquite, and quinoa.

I could just shoo them all away, hunker down and use one blend. Just one. But, what would be the fun in doing that?

Still we all know experimentation and creativity can lead to some interesting—and not so interesting—results and a pantry full of expensive flours.

The good news is if you just want one “go to” gluten-free alternative to all purpose flour there are plenty of good choices you can either buy pre-mixed or mix up on your own. The latter is the least expensive of the two choices although it requires a tiny bit more work.

While I rely on a few tried and true blends (you can read about them here) I’ve been experimenting with my own blend. The primary reason is I like sorghum flour and have been using almond flour more and more but haven’t found a blend that combines these two flours along with the regulars (rice flours and starches). So, I just did it myself.

I’ve had some nice results with it so you’ll be seeing some TSP recipes coming up (hint hint…the next one) using this flour blend.

TSP Gluten-Free Flour Blend

You’ll need a kitchen scale and a big bowl in which to mix up the flours. Measure the ingredients, transfer them to the bowl, whisk, whisk, whisk until blended. Store in a large glass container in your refrigerator—bring to room temperature before using.

300 grams fine white sorghum flour

100 grams brown rice flour

100 grams sweet rice flour

100 grams blanched almond flour

250 grams tapioca starch

150 grams potato starch

Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to each cup of flour used. I’ve omited it from the overall recipe since some folks stay away from gums. However, without some kind of binder the end result may be on the crumbly side.

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Sources for the ingredients above are:

Authentic Foods - sorghum, rice flours, and starches

Honeyville  - blanched almond flour

Twin Valley Mills - sorghum flour

Bob’s Red Mill - sorghum, rice flours, starches

Nuts Online - gluten-free flours of all kinds

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I’ve been MIA, in my own private Idaho, head down, nose to the grindstone. Have you ever been in your car headed toward a destination only to find you arrived but have no recollection of how you got there? That’s basically what my past six weeks have been like. I picked my head up the other day and barely remember the journey that got me to today.

It’s nothing life threatening…it’s just life. Just a lot of life packed into a month or so. That’s all. But, enough of it to make me miss out on get-togethers with friends, skip over online chats with pals, and pass on a virtual baby shower.  Enough to take me away from my blog and make me fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV some evenings. Enough to make me forget earlier this year I pledged to savor the moments.

I did have a few cool moments though…some really cool ones. A girls’ weekend away. A few posts on Martha Stewart’s wholeliving.com G-Free Fridays. Some time with the kid over spring break. Walks with the little dogs to clear my head and regular yoga to help ease the stress.

OK, now it’s time to clear the chalkboard and start over again. Yep. That’s what I’m telling myself. ;D

Anyhoo, during the weekend I was away I had the chance to eat at PF Changs and enjoy several of their wonderful gluten-free menu items. My friends and I ordered the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, some Singapore Street Noodles, Garlic Snap Peas and Mongolian Beef. Yes, we were hungry and it was so good.

These Chicken Lettuce Wraps are inspired by that meal. A few online recipes helped me figure out how to make a unique sauce for the chicken. This recipe is not a copycat of the one at PF Chang’s but it’s delicious and suits my hubs and me just fine.

The inspiration recipes:

Gluten Free Cooking School’s Singapore Street Noodles

The Culinary Life’s Lettuce Wraps

Some other recipes to check out:

Chef Jeena’s curry powder recipe…if you’re so inclined.

Elana’s Pantry Thai Chicken Wraps

Life As A Plate Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps

Book of Yum’s Jicama Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Make the sauce by mixing the following ingredients together, then set aside:

4 tablespoons SanJ organic gluten-free tamari (soy) sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup or tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce (optional)*
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
pinch turmeric
2 teaspoons organic natural peanut butter
½ teaspoon gluten-free Thai Kitchen fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)

Heat in a wok over medium high heat:

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon sesame or avocado oil

Add, stirring for 5 minutes, until fully cooked:

1 pound ground organic chicken or turkey

Add in and stir until just wilted:

¾ cup carrots, shredded
1½ cups savoy cabbage, shredded then chopped
1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup water chestnuts, chopped
¼ cup snow peas, chopped

Mix in the sauce you prepared earlier and heat through.

Serve with freshly washed organic Boston lettuce leaves.

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Notes: *Please use Sriracha sauce only if you determine, based on the ingredients list, that it’s a safe gluten-free product. I couldn’t find a definitive claim this sauce is gluten-free. Sriracha sauce is a hot chile sauce so if you do not like spicy foods omit it from the recipe. If you are not confident it’s gluten-free you can substitute another gluten-free hot sauce in it’s place—add to your own tastes.