Scotland here we come!

That’s right, Bob’s Red Mill is taking the oatmeal show on the road to the highlands of Scotland. In October, three members of our marketing team (myself included) are hitting the road to compete in the 16^th Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship in Carrbridge, Scotland.

The competition consists of two segments- traditional porridge and specialty porridge. Our team will pit our skills against reigning Scottish champions and attempt to take home the Golden Spurtle.

What is a spurtle, anyways? A spurtle is the traditional Scottish porridge stick. According to Seafoam Woodturning Studio, “The spurtle, or porridge stick, was used before the advent of rolled oats. The oatmeal had to soften and become edible, so it had to be cooked for a long time. The spurtle was used to stir it frequently to prevent the formation of large lumps.” Seafoam is one of the few woodworking studios that still produce this unique kitchen utensil.

We’re old pros at cooking traditional porridge here at Bob’s, but specialty porridge is a whole other beast. Naturally, we had to start trying different specialty oatmeal creations around Portland to get some ideas. Finally, we settled on an oatmeal brûlée that we found at Portland’s Gravy. Owner Mark Greco was kind enough to give us some lessons in making the perfect candy topping and help us hone our torch skills.

Here are some pictures from our first and second training sessions.

And the winner is...

You voted and the winner is… yellow! We wanted to say a big Thank You to everyone who participated by voting for the label color of our next gluten free product, Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix. This mix is one of our best so far and we cannot wait to share it with you. It's received rave reviews from all of our employees, including Bob himself.

Watch for contests later this summer to be the first to try this mix.

Vote for the label color of our next gluten free product!

We know that you have been waiting to hear what our newest gluten free product will be and now you get to help us decide the label color. This summer, we'll be introducing the lightest, fluffiest Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix you've ever tasted! We want your opinion- vote for the label color you like best. Tell your friends, rally your family and help us pick a color! Voting ends June 8th at midnight. 

GF Friendly Restaurants

Last week we asked our followers on Twitter to tell us about restaurants where they have had good experiences with gluten free dining. Here are the restaurants they shared. 

·        Biaggi’s in Illinois (looks like they have locations across the country with GF menus)

·        Swirlz Cupcake Bakery in Chicago (delicious GF cupcakes)

·        Two Urban Licks  in Atlanta, GA

·        Friedman’s, located in Chelsea Market in NYC

·        Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria on Lombard in San Francisco

·        Corbett Fish House and Hawthorne Fish House in Portland, OR. Full GF menu with fried, battered fish.

·        Mariposa Bakery in Oakland, CA but also can be found in select stores including Oregon, California, Canada, Colorado, Ohio, Washington, etc.

·        Risotteria in NYC and Da Lucianos in Chicago (see my blog post here about it)

·        Rose's Bakery (all GF), Big Bowl, Chicago Diner, Mana, Adobo Grill & Da Lucianos – all in Chicago

·        Petes New Haven Apizza in Washington DC

 If you have restaurants that you think deserve a shout-out, leave them in the comments for our readers. Thank you to all of our Tweeps for sharing the GF dining love! Here are just some of their comments:

"Risotteria in NYC! You get gf breadsticks when you sit down! Friendly staff! Pizza, salads, risotto, panini- all gf!"~Lesliemac59

"The best treat I have had was deep fried fish and chips at Corbett's in Portland, Oregon- all GF and ever so tasty!" ~Bisby

"Two Urban Licks in Atlanta is the best! The chef goes through the menu line by line to accommodate the GF diners. Great place!" ~GingerCM 

"Amici's East Coast Pizzeria on Lombard in San Francisco. Gluten free sign on the window and they have Red Bridge." ~Glutenfreemaps

Chocolate, Bacon, Syrup... Oh My!

Facebook friend Sarah shared this photo featuring our GF Brownie Mix topped with bacon and maple syrup... does it look good or gross? You be the judge. 

Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Last summer I took it upon myself to find a recipe for a healthy, homemade veggie burger. During my quest, I came across a recipe using quinoa in Food Everyday. Quinoa is a great grain to use in a veggie burger because of its high protein content and delicate flavor. Being naturally averse to following a recipe word for word, I came up with my own version. This recipe holds up well in the frying pan, or baked in the oven. I think it would do fine on the bbq with the help of a veggie basket. With only two of us at my house, I often make up this entire recipe and cook them. I freeze what we don't eat and use them as I would any frozen premade patty when I'm looking for a quick meal. Enjoy!

Quinoa Burgers Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Food Everyday 

• 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 15 ounces great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten*
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil; add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.

In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg whites, garlic, salt, and pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. 

Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties. If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

*Egg whites could easily be substituted with Flaxseed Meal. Simply whisk 1 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal with 3 Tbsp water and let sit for 1 minute- add as you would an egg.

(Note: I am completely phobic of frying things, so I bake these at 400°F for 15-20 minutes a side. Since there are only two of us, I wrap the two remaining uncooked patties in wax paper and freeze them. I also like to mix 2-3 Tbsp of Flaxseed Meal for added nutrition.)

Test Kitchen: New Corn Products!

I am very excited that we now offer gluten free corn products. Over the years, countless customers have requested gluten free corn products, and knowing that we can finally fulfill that need, makes me very happy.

I got to play around the kitchen and discover recipes using the Gluten Free Cornmeal and Gluten Free Corn Flour. Here are the recipes I came up with. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Corn Pancakes

¾ cup GF Cornmeal
½ cup Tapioca Flour
¼ cup Potato Starch
2 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Xanthan Gum
1 ¼ cups Milk
2 Tb Oil
1 Egg, lightly beaten

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the milk, oil and egg to the dry ingredients and whisk to incorporate until smooth. Prepare the griddle by heating it on medium high heat, or 350°F, and lightly oiling it. Pour the batter by ¼ cup onto the prepared griddle and cook until bubbles start to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook the other side until the pancakes is cooked through. Serve with your favorite toppings. Makes 10 – 4 inch pancakes.

Brazilian Corn Cookies

1 cup Corn Flour
½ cup White Rice Flour
½ cup Corn Starch
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ cup Shredded Coconut
½ cup Evaporated Cane Juice
1 Egg
½ cup Butter

Mix dry ingredients together; set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, egg and sugar. Add the dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Make 1 ½ inch balls with the dough and place on greased baking sheet. Flatten the balls gently with the palm of your hand. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 2 dozen cookies.