The posts and classes that I’ve promoted here have helped me to gauge interest in the types of food that I’m passionate about. I love empowering folks to cook nutrient-dense, local and seasonal foods,  and many have told me of their love of cooking meals at home. But they’ve also told me of how very busy their lives are and how they are continually seeking safe options for eating out.  At the same time, people who are recovering from serious health conditions have told about involved and unfamiliar methods of preparation that are overwhelming.

National College of Natural Medicine
049 SW Porter Street

Ross Island Bridge, South Waterfront, the Tram, and NCNM’s Clinic!

Thus, when we ( my partner Bob and I) learned of an opportunity to operate a food cart serving nutrient-dense foods to the busy students and professionals at the National College of Natural Medicine, we could not pass it up. The opportunity to deeply nourish the community of NCNM, and the larger community of Portland, felt like a weighty but exhilarating undertaking. (For those of you unfamiliar with NCNM – it’s located here in Portland and educates naturopathic doctors and acupuncturists. It also operates a teaching clinic which is a great source of low-cost alternative health care in Portland.Click on this link to NCNM’s website for more details.) The food cart arrangement turned out to be beautiful. It includes a covered eating area and enormous storage warehouse. It also includes all of the good vibes and support of the high-minded people at NCNM! We feel truly blessed to be joining the NCNM community. We also feel blessed to be working with the terrific folks at Cattail Creek Lamb, Afton Field Farm, Sweet Briar Farm, Kookoolan Farms, Organically Grown Company, Equal Exchange, Mountain Rose Herbs, Bob’s Red Mill,and Hummingbird Wholesale. We feel so thankful for our community and for those who have come before us, paving the way for a nutrient-dense, local food system!

A peek inside the food cart

We opened Dori’s Gluten-Free Kitchen on January 7^{th, 2013}. We’re a 100% dedicated gluten-free food cart serving nutrient-dense, local, and fair-trade foods. We’ve designed a seasonal, rotating menu that always includes bone broth based soup, vegan soup, a seasonal salad, sweet and savory hand pies (with flakey pastry!) and sandwiches on our homemade gluten-free sourdough bread. We also sell plain bone broth by the cup, bowl and quart to-go. Breakfast and lunch are served Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. We cater special events and luncheons, and accept special orders for cakes and pastries.

The blog medium requires pictures and I’ve always used my own photographs here. When I first started to blog I found food styling and photography to be especially frustrating – partially due to the overcast days of Portland – and partly due to the artistic and technical skills required to successfully style and photograph food. Somedays my desire to share a recipe would outweigh my dissatisfaction with the picture of the food. But overtime, food styling and photography for this blog has helped me to recognize how a dish might be able to tell its own story. In this way, the Kitchen has become a direct extension of my work here. Each day I’m striving to help the food tell it’s story: where it comes from, how it nourishes, why it’s prepared accordingly.

The sidewalk is in full bloom leading to Dori’s Gluten-Free Kitchen!

I invite you to join me on my next great adventure – the food-cart “Dori’s Gluten-Free Kitchen“! We’re close to the city center – in SW Portland (close to OHSU and PSU) – located in the West Parking lot of NCNM’s main academic building (under the red awning). (Click here for directions) Follow Dori’s Gluten-Free Kitchen on Facebook for up-to-date menu information. If you have any questions please email me at dorioliver@gmail.com or call (503)3969172 to speak with me directly!

Makes one 9-inch square cake

A pint of leftover homemade cranberry sauce is combined with a simple, moist and tender gluten-free, gum free vanilla cake. Use the recipe for Spiced Cranberry Sauce, which uses one pound of fresh cranberries and makes about one quart of finished sauce, or, use your favorite whole-berry sauce – either homemade or store-bought.

2 cups Spiced Cranberry Sauce or other cranberry sauce

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup whole cane, date, or palm sugar

1/3 cup whole coconut milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend of choice (see cooks note)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon finely ground, unrefined, sea salt

Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch square cake pan. Spread the cranberry sauce over the bottom of the buttered pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar. Use a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment to work the sugar into the fat, about two minutes. Add the coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth, about one minute. Postion a sifter or fine mesh strainer over a small bowl. Add the gluten-free all-purpose flour, chia seeds, baking soda, and salt. Sift or shake into the bowl. Add the flour mixture in thirds, mixing well after each addition. Pour the batter evenly over the cranberry sauce. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges. Invert a serving platter over the hot cake. Use hot pads to protect your hands and with one quick motion flip the cake and platter. Lift off the cake pan. Serve while still warm or fully cooled. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Cooks Note:

Use a gluten-free all-purpoe flour blend that is free from gums (xanthan or guar) and leaveners (baking soda or baking powder).

This post was shared at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Makes 4 cups

This recipe comes nearly entirely from my copy of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook 12th edition, published in 1980 -  found in a free pile and now amongst my most-treasured possessions! It’s cover was torn off long ago, and now it’s replaced by a dingy brown paper bag and Scotch tape. But despite it’s outward homeliness I can always find something beautiful and inspiring inside! This spiced cranberry sauce is a simple variation of classic cranberry sauce and has become a favorite around my holiday table.

2 cups clean water (well, spring or filtered)

2-inches  of cinnamon stick

3 cloves

3 allspice berries

1 pound fresh cranberries (about 4 cups)

2 cups evaporated cane sugar

Bring the water to boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Place the cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice berries in a muslin spice bag and secure the tie tightly (alternately, use a small piece of tightly woven cheesecloth and a piece of twine to arrange a small spice sachet). Add the bag of spices and cranberries to the boiling water. Bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a slow, low simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully remove the spice bag using a slotted spoon or tongs. Add the sugar. Return the sauce to a slow simmer. Cook for 3 more minutes stirring constantly to prevent scalding. Remove from the heat. Use a small ladle to remove any accumulated scum from the surface of the sauce.

Package the sauce into two pint-sized mason jars or into two small serving dishes. Chill before serving. The sauce will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one month.

This post was shared at Monday Mania.

Makes about 1 quart

Raw Milk Yogurt retains all of the vitamins, fatty acids and enzymes of properly produced raw milk, along with the probiotics and tart, familiar taste of the yogurt culture. The microorganisms that create yogurt are thermophillic (warmth-loving), and thrive between 95 and 100 degrees F. At lower temperatures they become inactive, but above 100 degrees F they begin to die-off.

Isn’t it remarkable that these microorganisms thrive precisely at human body temperature? It’s another reminder that the microbiotic cultures we love and cherish (i.e. yogurt, cheese, kombucha, and sourdough bread) spring from the many expressions of human culture. These treasured microbiotic cultures are impossible without  people to care for them, and as we learn more about the importance of “good bacteria” we are learning that we are, in-fact, equally as impossible without them!

4 cups whole raw cow’s milk (see cooks note)

4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons plain yogurt with live cultures

Place six, half-pint mason jars on a kitchen towel. If you are using metal lids, then cut six pieces of waxed paper just large enough to cover the top of the mason jars (the paper will protect the metal from corrosion caused by the acidic yogurt). Position a wide-mouth canning funnel over one of the jars.

Pour the milk into a double boiler. Place over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk reaches 100 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Add the yogurt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Begin adding the warm milk, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, whisking until fully incorporated after each addition. When about half of the liquid has been added, the remaining liquid can be added ½ cup at a time. Whisk well after each addition.

Pour or ladle the yogurt mixture into the jars using the canning funnel. Leave about 1/2-inch of headspace in each jar. Place the optional waxed paper under the lid. Cap the jars tightly. Place them in a 95 – 100 degrees F place (see cooks note). After 8-12 hours the yogurt will thicken slightly and begin to cling to the sides of the jar. Raw milk yogurt will be thinner than commercially produced yogurt when warm and will thicken considerably once refrigerated. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.  Raw milk yogurt contains the natural bacteria of raw cow’s milk and has a considerably shorter shelf life than yogurt made from boiled milk. Yogurt should taste pleasantly tart and the taste will be stable for up to one week.

Cooks notes:

Only consume properly produced raw dairy products. Raw milk should only be used if it comes from healthy animals that live on grass-based farms and are managed by knowledgeable and conscientious farmers. For more information on sourcing high-quality milk in your state visit The Campaign for Real Milk a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation. See this article “How to Buy Safe Raw Milk” from Champoeg Creamery. Check out the fabulous Kookoolan Farms Dairy  in Yamhill, Oregon – a fantastic example of a raw dairy farm with an extensive website.

While there are many appliances created specifically for making yogurt, there are also many creative ways to create a 95-100 degree F environment for 8-12 hours. I own my dream dehydrator, an Excalibur with adjustable temperature, and use it to my yogurt.  I know, it’s still an appliance, but I use it for so much more than yogurt! If a dehydrator is outside of your purveiw, a standard sized cooler can easily be arranged to make yogurt. You will need 2 bath towels, a hot water bottle filled with hot tap water, and a standard sized cooler. Line the cooler with one of the bath towels. Add the tightly capped jars filled with the yogurt mixture. Cover the jars with the other towel.  Add the hot water bottle. Close the cooler tightly. Don’t open it again for 8-12 hours. Your yogurt will be cool – but fully fermented – when you open the lid. Remember that it will be slightly runny until it is fully chilled by the refrigerator, and will always be thinner than commercially produced yogurts.

This post was shared at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, and GAPS Friendly Friday.

The next is “Gluten-Free Sourdough Baking: How to Use Traditional Techniques with Gluten-Free Flours” on Wednesday November 14, 2012; 10am -noon, also being held at People’s Community Room.  This class will teach you everything you need to know to get started baking with an ongoing, whole grain, gluten-free sourdough starter! I’ll teach you a simple, low-maintenance way to create a starter, and how to use your starter to make traditional sourdough baked goods!

Finally, on Friday December 7th I’ll be down in Yamhill at Kookoolan Farms teaching a 1-day gluten-free baking workshop! The workshop will include expanded versions of the holiday baking class and the sourdough baking class, as well as introduce the basic elements of adapting your favorite baking recipes to fit your special diet! The class includes coffee, tea and GF pastries in the morning and Kookoolan Farm lunch! Join us as we  explore how a limited diet can be nutrient-dense and delicious!

Read on for all of the details!

Gluten-Free Holiday Baking: Celebrating Life Without Gluten

A morning of gluten-free pastries, cookies, breads, and pies. Participate in hands-on demonstrations where you’ll get acquainted with gluten-free ingredients and processes – before the big day! Taste samples of whole-foods based, gluten-free desserts and breads that you’ll be delighted to make and serve for special occasions.
Class Fee: $14 (includes coffee/tea, samples, recipe packet & attendance in the class)
Saturday, November 10, 2012 10 a.m.-12 p.m; email dori@nourishingfoodways.com to register.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Baking: How to Use Traditional Techniques with Gluten-Free Flours

Learn to make your own sourdough starter, maintain an ongoing starter culture, and use it to leaven breads, cakes, and more! (Bring a small jar with a lid to take home your own starter.) This is a free event sponsored by Nourishing Foodways and People’s Food Co-Op. Wednesday, November 14, 2012; 6-7:30 p.m. Call 503-ORGANIC to register.

Gluten-Free Baking! at Kookoolan Farms

This is an all-day class that runs from 9AM to 3PM and includes coffee or tea with GF pastries, full GF farm lunch made with all-Kookoolan ingredients plus the baked goods produced during the morning session, and afternoon snacks. Come hungry and expect to leave full!

Successful GF baking requires two significant changes to wheat-based baking: gluten is the “glue” or “stickiness” that keeps baked goods together; without gluten, other substances must be used as the glue. Dori discusses the pros, cons, and best usages for all. The second modification is pH. All wine and beer makers know that a proper pH range is crucial for good yeast growth. Baked goods also use yeast, and bread yeast has been selected by humans over thousands of to perform best in the pH range naturally present in wheat flour doughs. GF ingredients typically yield a dough in a different pH range. By modifying the pH of the dough, you can help your yeast to thrive.

Join me and Healing Pond Farm a morning of informative discussion, hands-on demonstrations, and flavorful samples.

You’ll learn the simple steps to making yogurt, cultured buttermilk, and kefir in your home kitchen. You will also learn about thermophillic and mesophillic cultures and how to safely cultivate them in your own kitchen. Plus, you’ll take home recipes for dressings, dips, smoothies, and breads that utilize cultured milk.

When: Saturday November 3, 2012 9:30 am – 12pm

Where: Ludeman’s Backyard Farm and Garden Store

12675 SW Canyon Rd.

Beaverton, OR 97005

To Register: Call  Ludeman’s Backyard Farm & Garden (503) 646-6409

Cost: $10 includes coffee in the morning, snacks, and recipe packet

Gluten-Free and Gum-Free Quick Bread

Makes one standard loaf

This is a reliable master recipe for moist, delicious, and undetectably gluten-free and gum-free quick bread. Choose your own combination of flavors from the options below, or choose from any odds and ends in your pantry or refrigerator. My favorites are banana walnut bread with ghee, pumpkin pepita bread with coconut oil, and sunflower zucchini bread with butter. Experiment with different types of fruit vegetables such as grated raw carrots, pureed cooked sweet potatoes, pureed fresh (or drained canned) peaches, or pear sauce. You can also easily substitute another type of summer squash (like crooked neck or patty pan) for the grated zucchini or another winter squash variety (like butternut or kabocha) for the pumpkin puree.

1 ½  cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix or gluten-free all-purpose flour mix of choice

½ cup whole cane, date, or palm sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt

¼ teaspoon acerola cherry powder or vitamin c powder

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup applesauce, mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, or grated zucchini (fresh or frozen)

½ cup extra-virgin coconut oil, butter, or ghee, or a mixture, melted, plus more for oiling the pan

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon chia seeds, soaked in 2 tablespoons boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup crispy seeds or nuts, or raisins, optional

Center the oven rack. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously oil a standard (4 ½” x 8 ½ ” x 3”) loaf pan.

Position a sifter over a large mixing bowl. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cherry powder, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the grated/pureed fruit or vegetable (applesauce, bananas, zucchini, or pumpkin), melted coconut oil (or butter or ghee), eggs, soaked chia seeds, and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment on low to mix until evenly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once during mixing. Add the optional seeds, nuts, or raisins

Pour the batter into the oiled pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.

Let the bread to cool for 5 minutes before using a butter knife to loosen the edges. Gently remove the baked bread. Place it on a rack to cool entirely before slicing. Store any leftover quick bread tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

This was shared at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and Real Food Wednesday!

Gluten-Free Baking Basics at Gresham Library

Sunday, October 14th 2012; 2:30 – 4 pm; Free

with Dori Oliver from Nourishing Foodways

Are you new to gluten-free living? Thinking of going gluten-free? Overwhelmed by all of the information and products? This free workshop will help you understand gluten-free baking!

You will learn. . .

• The basics of going gluten-free, including how to spot gluten in ingredient lists and eliminate it in your daily life
• Why gluten-free baking utilizes mixes of flours and starches
• How to make your own gluten-free all-purpose flour mixes
• How to make a gluten-free french bread

You’ll also taste samples of delicious, gluten-free baked goods

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity may affect as many as 3 out of every 10 Americans and is highly correlated with many skin, neurological, autoimmune, and digestive disorders. You should always seek the guidance of a qualified health practitioner before going on a gluten-free diet!

Please join me at the Gresham Library  Sunday, October 14th; 2:30-4 p.m..

This class is being offered several times during the month of  October 2012

• People’s Co-Op Community Room – Sunday, October 21; 6-7:30pm
• Belmont Library – Sunday October 27; 3-4:30pm

Classes Are FREE and Open to the Public

Makes one 9-inch square cake

These chocolate-free, but still satisfyingly-brownie-like treats are adapted from a recipe in The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar. The Ayurvedic system of medicine describes three general types or doshas. The doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha – include physical attributions, personal preferences, and even emotional tendencies. Dosha is even used to describe the action of food within the body and the seasonal forces at work in nature.

This recipe is excellent for Fall because it decreases Vata – the cold, dry, light, and airy forces – which can become imbalanced in our bodies at this time of the year. It is warming, grounding, and easy to digest, especially  when made with crispy sunflower seeds (that have been soaked in salt water and dehydrated to increase their digestibility). It is still an indulgence, but makes a comforting treat  on a cool, windy day!

1/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for oiling the pan

1 cup whole cane, palm, or date sugar

1 cup coconut four

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon finely ground, whole unrefined sea salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup dried chopped coconut or 2/3 cup dried grated coconut

1 cup raw or crispy sunflower seeds

Center the oven rack. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking pan.

Position a sifter over a medium bowl. Sift together the sugar, coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Add the egg, coconut oil, and almond extract. Use a wooden spoon or blender on low to mix the ingredients until evenly combined. Add the dried coconut and sunflower seeds into the batter and mix until evenly combined.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool on a rack. When fully cool, slice into 9 – 12 equal portions.

This post was shared at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and Real Food Wednesday.

Gluten-Free Baking Basics at Gregory Heights Library

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012; 6-7:30 pm; Free

with Dori Oliver from Nourishing Foodways

Are you new to gluten-free living? Thinking of going gluten-free? Overwhelmed by all of the information and products? This free workshop will help you understand gluten-free baking!

You will learn. . .

• The basics of going gluten-free, including how to spot gluten in ingredient lists and eliminate it in your daily life
• Why gluten-free baking utilizes mixes of flours and starches
• How to make your own gluten-free all-purpose flour mixes
• How to make a gluten-free french bread

You’ll also taste samples of delicious, gluten-free baked goods

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity may affect as many as 3 out of every 10 Americans and is highly correlated with many skin, neurological, autoimmune, and digestive disorders. You should always seek the guidance of a qualified health practitioner before going on a gluten-free diet!

Please join me at the Gregory Heights Library – Wednesday, October 10th from 6-7:30 p.m.

This class is being offered several times during the month of  October 2012

• Gresham Library – Sunday October 14th; 2:30-4pm
• People’s Co-Op Community Room – Sunday, October 21; 6-7:30pm
• Belmont Library – Sunday October 27; 3-4:30pm

Classes Are FREE and Open to the Public