Gluten-Free Fridays: Lemon Bars #glutenfreecheatsheet #sponsor

Earlier this month - before I left on a 10-day camping trip and before my laptop went kaput - I introduced you to a brand new cookbook from Perigee-Penguin: THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less, written by gluten-free maven April Peveteaux, author of the blog Gluten is My Bitch.

Thank you to Perigee-Penguin for inspiring this series of posts. This is my third Gluten-Free Fridays post. Don't forget about your chance to win a copy of the book. I will continue to post gluten-free recipes, but that is a story for another day. This is the final post before the giveaway ends.

One of my biggest challenges, when cooking for my GF friends, has been making sweets.  Sometimes a crust will be as dry as the Sahara Desert. Sometimes it's rubbery. Like Flubber rubbery. Yuck. I should probably blend my own GF flour more regularly to create some consistency and predictability. When I'm in a pinch, I use Trader Joe's gluten-free blend. I have tried Bob's Red Mill GF flour, but I am sensitive to fava flour. Ugh. So, I definitely need to put more time and energy into experimenting with alternative grain flours.

Excerpted, with permission, from The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux, © 2015

   Alternative Grain Flours

Cooking gluten-free is just like cooking everything else . . . sometimes. To be specific, preparing naturally gluten-free foods is not an issue, but once you start experimenting with alternative flours, things can get weird. I have a few tricks to make your transition much smoother, and your cookies much tastier. The best advice I’ve ever heard, and given, is to keep experimenting in the kitchen.

• sorghum flour
• almond flour (a fave)
• hazelnut flour
• walnut flour
• coconut flour (another fave)
• rice flour (white, sweet, and brown)
• tapioca flour
• garbanzo bean flour
• potato flour
• soy flour
• buckwheat (yet another favorite)
• amaranth flour
• millet flour (great for making a roux)
• teff flour
• cornmeal (has to be labeled gluten-free)

And the new kids on the block:

• mesquite flour (mostly for adding cinnamon flavor)
• green  banana flour

I definitely have some shopping - and experimenting - to do! Are you with me?

Lemon Bars

adapted from The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux, © 2015

This classic treat, and Mann Clan favorite, was adapted even further than just gluten-free because I was simultaneously experimenting with dairy-free! Also, I cut down on the sugar a bit because I wanted it more tart.

Ingredients

• 1 C butter (I used a dairy-free Earth Balance)
• 2 C + 1/4 C gluten-free flour (I used the GF King Arthur flour)
• 1/2 C + 1 C organic granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• juice and zest from 2 organic Meyer lemons
• organic powdered sugar for dusting

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9"x13" baking pan. Place 2 C flour and 1/2 C sugar in a bowl. Rub in butter then press the dough into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. In the meantime, make the topping. To make the lemon layer, beat together the eggs, remaining sugar, remaining flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl till smooth and combined.

Pour lemon mixture over the cooked base. Bake for another 25 minutes. Leave to cool. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Enter to win a copy of the book!

One of my lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of  THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux, courtesy of Perigee-Penguin. Giveaway runs from July 3rd till August 3rd at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Perigee Books. You may find Perigee: on the web, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway *Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux to review plus the opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are my own. I received no further compensation for my posts.