Visiting Norway on the Gluten-free Diet

As you all know from my last blog post, I went to Norway two weeks ago!  Fortunately, as a lot of foods in the Nordic diet happen to be naturally gluten-free, I didn't have much trouble looking for delicious foods to eat. Most local bakeries have gluten-free pastries and bread, so that's a real treat! One of my favorite store-bought items would have to be the Waza Crisp Bread (knekkebrød), so if you ever visit Norway, be sure to stock up on this "bread alternative."

 

The hotel I stayed at had both gluten-free crisp bread and regular bread, and I used toaster bags to make sure that there wasn't any cross contamination issues when using the toaster!

I mean, look at this leaning tower of hamburger!

Almost everyone in Norway speaks English, which means you'll have no trouble talking to the chefs and servers about the gluten-free diet. The waiter walked me through the buffet offerings, pointing out what was gluten-free and what wasn't which  was really nice :).

How cool is this wine glass candle thing :)! 

If you ever find yourself in Norway on the gluten-free diet, don't fret, because you'll be just fine!
-Sema

Homemade Greek Yogurt

Have you ever tried making your own homemade yogurt? We do it all the time in our house, and it is DELICIOUS! It tastes so much better than store-bought yogurt, and it is honestly super easy to make :)! (Plus when you tell people you make your own yogurt, you get automatic cool points.) To make it into a healthy dessert, I add frozen fruit and sugar!

Ingredients 
I/4 gallon of milk
1/4 cup of store-bought regular Greek yogurt (add 3 tbs of water, and mix it)

Procedure

• 1. Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring and scraping bottom of pan often with a heatproof spatula (for a smooth yogurt, make sure there aren't a lot of air bubbles), until the temperature is 185° Fahrenheit.
• 2. Cool the milk down to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  
  3. Add 1/4 cup of store-bought yogurt to the milk. 
• 4. Pour mixture into a 32-ounce jar. Cover jar and place in a warm spot in kitchen for 6 hours or until the milk gets the consistency of yogurt. 
  

  

  
  Voila! You have your own delicious naturally gluten-free yogurt!
  Enjoy!
  -Sema
• 
  

Simit

Simit is a Turkish delicacy like the American bagel.

Ingredients:

1 cup of sesame seeds

3 cups of Augason Farms Gluten-free French bread mix (or any other gluten-free bread mix)

400 grams of tapioca starch (14 oz)

1/4 cup Lukewarm water

2 tablespoons of yeast

1/4 cup Molasses (it is available from Middle Eastern grocery stores)

Procedure:

Preheat oven it 375 degrees F.

Toast the sesame on the pan or oven, be careful not to burn it.

Mix the  GF French Bread Mix, tapioca starch, and the lukewarm water together.

Cut the dough into pieces.

Roll the individual pieces out into a strip.

Fold the strip over.









Twist the two pieces together.

 Pinch the dough in the end to attach them together.

Brush on the molasses, and dunk the dough into the sesame seeds.

Let it rise ½ an hour to 40 minutes.

Put it into the oven.

Bake until they are crispy on the outside.

Enjoy!!! Special thanks to my dad for helping out!
-Sema