gluten-free eats

Treeline Treenut Cheese: French-Style Soft Cheeses

Scallion Flavor: Flavored with chopped scallions for a tangy flavor and creamy texture.

Now, keep in mind I haven't had any dairy in, well, more than two years, but this stuff tastes just like cream cheese. It's soft and spreadable, and deliciously tangy. I spread it on some homemade crackers and it was all I could do to not eat the whole tub. I also tried it on a sweet apple, but it had a weird aftertaste; maybe it'd be better on a tart apple like a Granny Smith. I would have tried it on toast, but I had to make the bread first, and didn't.

Ingredients: Cashew nuts, filtered water, onion powder, sea salt, dried scallions, lemon juice, L. Acidophilus.

Herb-Garlic flavor: Flavored with fine herbs and garlic for a sophisticated and complex flavor.

Tried this one too, and it tastes very similar to the other, though not nearly as garlicky as I expected/hoped/feared. (I have garlic issues.)

Ingredients: Cashew nuts, filtered water, sea salt, lemon juice, dried scallions, garlic powder, white pepper, onion powder, L. Acidophilus, dried basil, dried oregano.

I found these at Natural Grocers, but Treeline products are available in a lot of places in the US, including Kroger stores. The soft cheese comes in several more flavors, and there's a hard cheese, too. Treeline is made in New York and is gluten free, dairy free, lactose free, soy free, palm oil free, probiotic, vegan, and certified non-GMO. From their FAQ: "No gluten is processed or used in our facility." From the packaging: "We do not process dairy, eggs, meat, fish, shellfish, gluten or peanuts in our facility."

Highly recommended for my dairy-free, soy-free, cashew-capable friends.

Parchment paper is cellulose-based paper (or "paper") that has been treated to make it non-stick, resistant to grease and moisture, and appropriate for oven use. It's sold in rolls, sheets, bags, pre-cut rounds, and even shaped inserts for loaf pans. It also comes in muffin cup form.

These days I never make muffins without using PaperChef's parchment paper baking cups. They're completely non-stick so you don't lose any muffin when you pull the wrapper off. Great for gluten-free baking and baked goods that are lower in fat. They're even kosher for Passover. They're also more expensive than regular muffin papers, but I like to think you make up for it by not losing half your muffin when you pull the paper off and then having to gnaw at the becrumbed muffin wrapper like a stray dog.

These cups will expand to fit your muffin tins, which is a wonderful bonus, but it also means they don't hold their shape if left to their own devices. If you set one out on the counter, it'll just slowly unfold until it's a flat circle. The cups come in a square box with a cardboard ring inside to keep them round. One of the boxes I bought didn't have the ring and the cups were definitely squarish when I took them out. Now I open every box after I buy it just to make sure it has the ring, and if it doesn't, I shove the cups into a box that does. Be aware that the sizes are a bit confusing. I buy the large, which isn't large at all, just a normal muffin size.

If you can't find the PaperChef brand where you are, just search for parchment paper baking cups. Or, if you have more patience than I do, you can make your own tulip muffin cups out of parchment paper.

If you've never used parchment paper at all, I highly recommend it. It's an extra expense, and it does create some waste, but the benefits outweigh the negatives for me. It prevents cakes, cookies, and quick breads from sticking to the pan, and you can often use the paper as a sling to lift your loaf or cake right up on out of there. It also makes clean up way easier. Put it under roasted veggies or whole yams—those sugar-drooling monsters. Put it under meatloaf or lentil loaf. Put it under literally anything: cornbread, brownies, buns, sweet rolls, nuts, chips, granola. It doesn't even have to be going into the oven. Put it under raw protein bars or fudge.

You can cook without parchment paper—I did for many years—but working in the kitchen is so much easier with it.