Cookbook Giveaway & Review: Gluten Free on a Shoestring (Plus GF Popover Recipe from the Book!)

One of my favorite things about having a gluten free blog is that I have the pleasure of reviewing a wide variety of gluten free cookbooks.  I recently  reviewed a new cookbook entitled Gluten Free on a Shoestring by Nicole Hunn, who authors a gluten free blog by the same name.

Nicole Hunn had my attention when I discovered that her gluten free recipes focused on being cost effective.  Like many others, I am trying to follow a budget and as we all know the price of purchasing gluten free foods can add up quickly.  Gluten Free on a Shoestring promises family-friendly fare that is made from scratch, for significantly less money than when pricey gluten free mixes and convenience foods are used.  

There is a photo of an insanely delicious looking gluten free popover on the cover of Gluten Free on a Shoestring; my family all agreed that we should try this tempting recipe first.  I made the filling for a vegetable pot pie, but instead of topping it with gluten free pastry crust or biscuits as I usually do, we split open freshly baked flaky popovers and served them on top of individual bowls of the  pot pie filling.  The result?  My family absolutely loved them... the only problem was that we wished we had doubled the recipe so we could have more!

For my dairy free readers, I substituted the butter in the recipe for Earth Balance Buttery Spread, and used Almond Milk instead of cows milk.  The only difference between the appearance of our dairy free popovers and the popovers pictured on the cover of the cookbook is that ours were a very light golden color, not the deep golden brown that is a result of baking with regular dairy-containing butter.  The flavor and texture was spot-on though!

"Inside this comprehensive cookbook, you’ll find 125 delicious and inexpensive gluten-free recipes for savory dinners, favorite desserts, comfort foods, and more, plus Nicole’s top money-saving secrets."

Recipes include:

• Apple-Cinnamon Toaster Pastries
• Focaccia
• Spinach Dip
• Ricotta Gnocchi
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Szechuan Meatballs
• Tortilla Soup
• Baked Eggplant Parmesan
• Never-Fail White Sandwich Bread
• Banana Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
• Banana-Blueberry Muffins
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Perfect Chocolate Birthday Cake

"With advice on the best values and where to find them, meal planning strategies, and pantry-stocking tips, Gluten-Free on a Shoestring is your essential guide. Never fall victim to the overpriced, pre-packaged gluten-free aisle again. Roll on by—happier, healthier, and wealthier."

Macaroni & Cheese 
On a shoestring: $1.84
On the shelf: $4.49
You save 59%!

Chocolate Chip Brownies
On a shoestring: $0.29
On the shelf: $1.00
You save 71%!

Berry Scones
On a shoestring: $0.42
On the shelf: $1.75
You save 76%!

Soft Pretzels
On a shoestring: $0.17
On the shelf: $2.00
You save 91%!

(prices per serving)

"Nicole Hunn is the personality behind the Gluten-Free on a Shoestring blog, featured in the New York Times and on MSN Money. She lives with her family in Westchester County, New York."

Popovers (Gluten Free) 

Makes 6 large, or 12 small, popovers

1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1 cup milk (low-fat is fine, nonfat is not), at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease well a 6-cup popover pan (or a regular muffin tin, if you don’t have a popover pan) with unsalted butter and set it aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the butter, eggs, and milk, whisking well after each addition until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin.

Fill each of the wells in the pan just under halfway full. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for a total of 30 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, with a sharp knife or with sharp kitchen shears, pierce the top of each popover to allow steam to escape so that the popovers are able to maintain their puffiness.

Serve plain or with your favorite jam or preserves.

From Gluten-Free on a Shoestring 

by Nicole Hunn 
published by Da Capo Lifelong

WIN IT:

(1) Lucky Gluten Free Taste of Home follower will WIN a copy of the Gluten Free on a Shoestring cookbook. (Retail value $19.00)

TO ENTER GIVEAWAY (#1 is a mandatory entry):

1) Become a Gluten Free Taste of Home follower (must follow PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect in the side bar of this website) AND visit the Dapo Lifelong Books website to view their other gluten free cookbooks; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you now follow me PUBLICLY, AND tell me the name of another gluten free cookbook you found on your visit to the the Dapo Lifelong Books website that you would like to have (other than Gluten Free on a Shoestring, please). (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES (each entry comment must be entered separately to be a valid entry):

2) "Like" my Gluten Free Taste of Home page on Facebook; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did this. (1 entry)

3) "Like" my Freebie Fairy page on Facebook; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did this. (1 entry)

4) Blog about this giveaway linking it back to this blog post AND the Gluten Free on a Shoestring page of the Da Capo Lifelong Books website. Please LEAVE ME A COMMENT with THE LINK TO YOUR POST or it will not count. (3 entries)

5) Follow Gluten Free Taste of Home on Twitter AND tweet the giveaway; LEAVE ME A COMMENT (with your twitter link) telling me you did it. (one entry per tweet/RT; DO NOT EXCEED (1) TWEET/RT PER HOUR!)

6) Follow Da Capo Cooking on Twitter; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did it. (1 entry)

7) Vote for Gluten Free Taste of Home on Picket Fence Blogs (click the "We're on the Fence!" button in the sidebar of this blog to vote). (1 entry)

8) Grab my Gluten Free Taste of Home button and display it on your website/blog (copy the html code for my button from the sidebar of this website and paste the code into your website), and LEAVE ME A COMMENT with a LINK to where you pasted my button. (1 entry)

9) Subscribe to Gluten Free Taste of Home via e-mail (in right hand sidebar of this blog). (1 entry)

*GIVEAWAY OPEN TO US & CANADA*

Giveaway ends on Monday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. PST (entries received after this time will not be posted). Winner will be selected by random.org. Winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected; PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR E-MAIL REPLIES THAT ARE SENT TO ME AND NOT RECEIVED IN MY INBOX FOR ANY REASON. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A PROMPT REPLY BACK FROM ME ASSUME I DID NOT RECEIVE YOUR E-MAIL. RE-SEND YOUR REPLY UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM ME WITHIN 48 HOURS (FROM THE TIME I SENT YOUR WINNER'S NOTIFICATION E-MAIL) OR A NEW WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN. LEAVING AN ENTRY COMMENT ON THIS POST WILL SERVE AS ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS.

*REMEMBER... please leave your e-mail address with EACH entry so I can contact you if you win.

Best of luck!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review.  I received the item/items featured in this post for review purposes courtesy of the product company and/or its PR or publishing company. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions I have expressed are solely my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”