The Gluten Free Gathering

Roll-Out Buckwheat Biscuits

2011-06-21T18:24:00.005-06:00

These biscuits are WONDERFUL!

1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp guar or xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp baking poweder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
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1/2 cup margarine or lard, cold
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2 Tbsp coconut milk (undiluted)
1 egg
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup cold water (depending on your air humidity level, you may need to add a little more)

Procedure: (Preheat oven to 425)
1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cut fat into Tbsp size pieces and add to dry ingredients.
3. Cut into flour with pastry blender until the fat is the size of large peas.
4. Combine the coconut milk, egg, honey, vinegar and water together. Whisk until smooth.
5. Add the wet ingredients to dry all at once and mix until just combined. (see note)
6. Transfer dough onto a board that has been sprinkled with tapioca starch.
7. Knead a few times to form dough into a lump.
8. Roll out to 3/4" to 1" thick. Cut with a starch sprinkled cutter.
9. Place on cookie sheet.
13. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the top and cooked through.

Notes:
Gluten free flours absorb liquids slower than gluten flours. I often let my dough sit for 5 minutes to absorb liquids before I add any flour or starch to a wet-looking dough. If this biscuit dough is still too wet to roll out after a few minutes, I add 1/4 cup potato starch and lightly mix in (you don't want to over mix).

I bake on the top rack of the oven as these biscuits burn easily on the bottom. They are delicious with stew for a hot meal or with a salad for a cool meal. My favorite is a biscuit with honey for breakfast.

These biscuits freeze well and are still moist when defrosted.

"FREEDOM" BREAD (Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free)

2011-02-09T21:43:00.004-07:00

This egg free thing has thrown me for a loop. I have countless times picked up a recipe to bake and had to put it aside because I was not sure how to change it and didn't have time to experiment. This is REALLY limiting!
I have been slow to post recipes because I like to have them turn out nice for me at least twice at home before I put them up. My first try at bread was great. The next was a flop (think BRICKS). As I was going to sleep one night I had an idea of something to change - so the next day I tried again and the batch turned out quite good. The next two times yielded better and better results. So I am going to share the recipe. It is not corn-free (I apologise) but if you can not have corn, I am sure you could experiment with other starches.
I was not only happy with the soft inner texture, the crunchy crust, and the high rise - I was also very happy with the taste! It has a slightly nutty, sweet flavor which I especially like toasted. :)
This recipe yields 2 large loaves, but I think three small loaves would work too.

1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup potato starch
1.5 cups corn starch
1 cup buckwheat flour (could try sorghum flour - it is not easy to find where I live)
2 cups rice flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 Tbsp psyllium husks or powder
1.5 tsp salt

1.5 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup hot water

3 cups hot water
0.25 cups oil or fat
1/4 cup flax seeds

Directions:
-Mix the first set of ingredients (all dry) in a large mixing bowl.

-Combine the yeast, sugar and hot water and set aside to bubble.

-Put the flax seed and 3 cups of water in a blender. Blend on high until all the seeds are broken up and the mixture starts to thicken slightly (<1min.).

-Preheat oven to 430 degrees.

-Pour the flax mixture, oil and yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. With an electric mixer or by hand, beat the dough for until smooth. Continue to mix the dough on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes (my daughter Emily has found that this drastically improves the texture of the bread).

-Scrape into two greased, large sized loaf pans and set on top of stove to rise for about 10 - 15 min. or until the dough is just above loaf pan.

-Gently set the pans in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.

-Take out of loaf pans. Lay the loaves on their sides to cool on racks. Wait until mostly cool to slice. Enjoy!

Egg Free Adjustment

2011-01-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks has been a time of adjustment in my kitchen: an adjustment to egg-free. For that change to happen, I needed a provoking insentive - afterall, I always felt sorry for folks that had to go egg free. We can't have gluten, milk, nuts or soy....but AT LEAST we could eat eggs.
Not any more.
The insentive for this change was provded by my husband being sick. Steven and Graeme had stopped eating eggs on their own over a year ago. It seemed they were mildly intollerent to them in large doses. Steven continued to have stomach problems and it took us a long time to connect it with eggs in baking. But now that he has tried eating egg-free, his stomach is feeling MUCH BETTER. I am on a campagn to change over my gluten-dairy-soy-nut-free recipes to also be egg-free. :) God must give grace, becuase what I dreaded isn't so bad! (So far!)
One of my first experiences was with cookies. I had several types turn out VERY WELL. In fact: beter then normal.
My next experience was with bread. That also turned out GREAT! I am shocked, amazed and thankful! I will be posting my new recipes over the next day or two. I hope they turn out as well for you as they have for me.
Jenny

2 Minute Mexi-Vinaigrette Dressing

2010-11-25T15:07:00.001-07:00

Green Salads with Toasted Tomato-Herb crusted Croutons.

This is one of my favorite dressings of all times! Whether you make it spicy or mild, it is bursting with fresh flavor that adds a real zing to a salad.

As a bonus: it is pretty too. :)

Yield: 1/2 cup - enough for two large salads

Mexi-Vinaigrette Dressing

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or oil of your choice)

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 salsa (mild, medium or hot)

1/4 tsp. GF Italian seasoning

2-3 tsp honey

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into small pitcher to serve.

Variations:

-Use a specialty salsa such as spicy mango.

-Add 5-8 small stuffed green manzanilla olives before blending.

NOTE: Since my husband has gone egg-free, he has used this dressing more and more. We have canned salmon as least once a week and I used to add different olives with mayo. Now he puts this dressing on his salmon sandwich and it is DELICIOUS!

The Bestest, Crunchiest, Yummiest Oven Fries

2010-10-26T22:40:00.003-06:00

The family gave these fries a top rating at supper tonight - and they WERE good! In fact, when I tried one, I thought, "Oh no! I have gone and made something addicting!" I will have to make them only occasionally or my waist line will reflect my liking for them!
As is my habit, I did not measure ingredients as I cooked. However, it should be fairly simple to guesstimate according to how many potatoes you are using.

CRISPY OVEN FRIES

1 large potato per person, cut into fries
rice flour to coat - 1-2 Tbsp per potato
seasoning salt
onion salt
olive oil 1-2 Tbsp per potato

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cut potatoes in a bowl. Toss with flour to coat. Sprinkle generously with seasoning salt and onion salt. Sprinkle olive oil over potatoes and toss to coat. Dump onto baking sheet and cook for 45-60 minutes or until crispy and brown.
Enjoy with ketchup, salsa, or the dipping sauce below.

SMOKEY DIPPING SAUCE

1 cup sour cream (for dairy free, use 1 cup mayonnaise)

1-2 cups salsa, according to taste

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp taco seasoning

few drops of smoke sauce

Stir all ingredients together - adjust seasoning to taste. Great with vegetables, tacos or fries.

Carrot Cake

2010-10-25T14:25:00.006-06:00

Baked and arranged by my lovely daughter, Emily.

CARROT CAKE

   Preheat oven to 3
Mix these three ingredients together50*

   1 cup        brown sugar
   1 cup        oil
   4               eggs

.Add these ingredients (except the grated carrots) to the first three. Mix well, than add the grated carrots.
    1/2 tsp      salt
   1 1/2 tsp   cinnamon
   1 1/2 tsp   baking soda
   1 1/2 tsp   baking powder
   1 tsp         xantham gum
   1 cup        rice flour
   1/2 cup     potato starch - tapioca starch
   2 cups      grated carrots

Bake for 40-50 min. Cool.

If you can have dairy, slather this moist cake with cream cheese frosting. If dairy is a problem, try the plain white frosting below. It really is quite nice - if you can keep yourself from thinking about cream cheese!

                                                                 FROSTING

   3 cups       icing sugar
   2 tsp         margarine
   1 1/2 tsp   vanilla extract

non-dairy substitute such as Rice Dream
Mix the icing sugar and margarine together, than add milk till the icing till the icing is shiny and has a creamy consistency.

"Make-It-All-Better" Dairy Free Frappuccino

2010-10-08T06:27:00.008-06:00

Like I said yesterday, we are enjoying a beautiful, warm Indian summer. After a few hours of working out in the yard doing fall cleanup, I come in tired, hungry, hot and grumpy (not really ;)). A tall, cold glass of frapp makes it all better!
I have often wished that I could order one of those delicious frappuccinos at Starbucks or Tim Horton's. Of course I can't because of the dairy in them...but to be honest, I don't know if I could get myself to spend the $3-$5 dollars for one!
So, if you, like me are dairy-free, a spend thrift or both...this is the recipe for you!
This recipe makes 2 very large glasses.

Dairy Free Frappuccino

3 cups ice
1 1/5 tbsp instant coffee (I buy a nice quality kind - but even the cheap stuff taste good.
Decaf will also work)
3 tbsp granulated sugar (honey works too)
1 cup coconut milk (I usually just use the whole 398ml/14oz can)
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
-Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth.

Options:
-Mocha: add a couple of tbsp of cocoa powder
-Java Chip: blend in some semi-sweet chocolate chips - or dark Lindt chocolate chunks
-Top with whip cream and caramel sauce.

Dairy Free - Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

2010-10-07T14:00:00.002-06:00

First of all, I apologize for the lack of posts.

Part of it has been because of the lack of mental energy to do anything extra.

Part of it has been because of my obsessive habit of "All-Or-Nothing":

If I don't have have time to do something REALLY WELL, I don't want to do it at all!

An Indian summer is upon us, I am taking advantage of the warm days to enjoy smoothies.

My ingredient measurements are a little vague...I rarely measure anything but go by "lumps" or "spoons".

I'll do my best to put that into tablespoons and cups for you.

This recipe makes a frozen treat for two.

Dairy/Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk (more if you want it richer and creamier)

1 farm-fresh raw egg, preferably organic (if you only have access to store bought

eggs do not use raw egg because of increased risk of salmonella)

1 ripe banana

1 tsp psyllium husks (optional)

1 tsp flax seed (use more if you like to)

2 tsp flax seed oil (optional)

dose for 2 people of vitamin D3 drops (optional)

2 cups frozen fruit - any variety or mix

1 thin slice of lemon, including peel if organic (this gives a little sparkle of flavor)

1 cup -/+ water as needed to help smoothie turn over in blender

Directions:

-Put all ingredients into blender.

-Blend until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed and tamping down to help it move.

-Divide into two large glasses and enjoy along with good conversation.

Breadless Breakfast

2010-10-05T09:15:00.002-06:00

Not only am I avoiding gluten, dairy, soy and nuts...but right now I am also having to avoid yeast, most sugar and simple carbohydrates. That makes breakfast a bit of a challenge!
Pictured is my current most favorite, satisfying breakfast: One fried egg (or poached), 1 piece bacon or ham or a little shredded chicken, stir fried vegetables (mix of whatever I have on hand and reheated from the night before to save time) with salsa on the side. So, even when the rest of the family is eating muffins, pancakes or toast, I am very satisfied with my delicious, filling breakfast.

For lunch I usually have a bowl of vegetable soup (homemade from leftovers with sliced vegetables and homemade broth added). Sometimes I have a flax wrap filled with raw or stirfied veggies and Dijon mustard.
My afternoon snack is usually fruit: an apple or an orange, grapefruit, or small smoothie.
Supper is whatever the family is eating...with some modifications. I eat little or none of the starch (potato, rice, whatever), a large helping of vegetables (steamed or stir fried) with a piece of meat the size of the palm of my hand. Since I have a very demanding sweet tooth :) I do usually have some dessert at supper: a cookie or a small piece of pie for example.

Eating this way has almost healed me of my long standing UT infection and the gas/bloating from too much yeast in my system. Plus I have more energy - a very welcomed bonus!

Eggless Cooking

2010-07-20T14:47:00.003-06:00

Here is a link for eggless baking....
Their blueberry muffins looked very delicious!

Of course, the recipes are not gluten free, but that can be changed quite easily. I am not always exact, but the basic formula I use is: 2/3 rice flour to 1/3 starch, adding 1 tsp guar gum for every 2 cups of flour. Here is an example:
If a recipe calls for 4 cups of flour, I would substitute 2.5 cups of rice flour, 1.5 cups of starch (tapioca or potato) and 2 tsp guar gum.

I substitute water for milk in most baking recipes. If I feel I need to use milk, I use coconut milk which I usually dilute with water.

Grecian Pizza

2010-07-18T19:50:00.005-06:00

I have been lacking in both time and inspiration with posting recipes lately. Of course I have been cooking as the folks at my house have this nasty habit of getting hungry every 4 or 5 hours (some every 1/2 hour). But, cooking with the intention of posting about it later is very different from must cooking. For one, I have to actually measure ingredients so I can write the recipe down! The there is remembering to take some pictures (if the recipe actually turned out!). Well, I got it together today and I am going to share one of the recipes on our summer menu: Grecian Pizza. It is gluten free, of course - but also dairy free. I think the crust could be made without eggs if you use the flax egg replacer.

This recipe makes one large baking sheet of pizza (mine is 12x17 with sides) which should serve 4-6 people, depending how hungry they are. ;)

Crust:

1 cup rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp guar gum
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup water
1 egg
3 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Add milk, eggs and oil - mix well to combine.
Grease baking sheet and spread batter evenly over the sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool while you slice topping ingredients.

Pizza Topping:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 8oz package fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups fresh spinach, washed and torn
1 cup sliced black olives (my favorite are the smokey tasting sun dried olives)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 small tin pizza sauce (or make your own)
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1/4 large pineapple, sliced thin (can used canned, but fresh is SO good)
1 lb sliced ham or other gluten/dairy free meat
any other topping of choice - onions, green pepper, etc

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute until tender. Stir in the oregano to the mushrooms and scrape warm mushrooms over the torn spinach. Toss to mix.

Spread cooled crust with sauce and layer ham evenly over the sauce.

Next, evenly spread red pepper, olives and pineapple.

Top with spinach mixture - this will help hold the other ingredients together.

Place baking sheet in 375 degree oven and bake pizza for 30-45 minutes.

Cut into squares and serve. Enjoy!

Flax Egg Replacer

2010-07-17T20:01:00.000-06:00

If you have ever mixed flax with water, you know that if forms a thick, slippery goo. That mixture can be used as a substitute for eggs. I find that it works especially well in muffins. Flax is a source of good fatty acids and fiber: not a bad addition to any baking. Even though we can have eggs, I still add this flax mixture to gluten free bread to give it a lighter texture.

1/2 cup flax seed
2 cups water

-Grind the flax seed in the blender on high for about 1 minute.
-Add the water and continue to blend on high for anther 2 minutes. The mixture will be very thick and a stringy consistency similar to egg white.
-To substitute for eggs: mix 1/4 cup of flax mixture for 1 egg (1 cup of flax mixture for 4 eggs).

Gluten Free Flax Seed Bread - Xanthan/Guar Gum Free

2010-05-21T11:18:00.004-06:00

This is one of the results of my xanthan-free experiments. While the loaf did not rise large and fluffy, it was not heavy, and was moist and tasty. The flax seed forms a gum that replaces the need for any other binder.
I have been avoiding all yeast, sugar and simple carbs the past month in an effort to overcome a persistent UT infection - but I did have a couple of slices of this bread: toasted and spread with homemade sesame tahini. Wonderful!
So, health-wise, other than containing yeast, this bread is low in carbs (compared with other gluten-free breads that have a lot of starches added) and high in fiber. It does contain 3 eggs per loaf... so my egg-free friends aren't helped here. :(

1/2 cup warm milk or water
1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 Tbsp. honey

Stir the honey into the warm milk or water. Add yeast and set aside to start foaming.

3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flax seed, ground in blender
1/2 cup millet, ground in blender
1/4 cup buck wheat grouts, ground in blender

Beat eggs in a bowl until light colored. Add the flax and millet and mix well. Let sit a few minutes to absorb the moisture.
Stir the yeast mixture into the egg/grain mixture.

1 cup tapioca flour or starch
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt
1/4 -1/3 cup warm water

Sift these dry ingredients together. Beat into the egg/yeast mixture alternatively with the warm water. If the batter seems runny, add a little more rice flour. If it seems too stiff, add a little more warm water. It should be slightly thicker than muffin batter.
(Too runny of a batter will fall when baking and have a very course texture. Too thick of a batter will not rise and produce a "brick of bread" rather then a loaf).

Scrape batter into greased 9x3 bread pan.

Let rise in a warm place until the batter is level with the top of the pan (takes 25-40 minutes). When the loaf is almost done rising, preheat your over to 400F.

Bake loaf for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and lay loaf on it's side to cool on a wire rack. Slice when cool and enjoy.

Xanthan Gum Revealed

2010-05-19T10:36:00.004-06:00

For years I have done all my gluten free baking with xanthan gum. It was expensive but I didn't need much for each recipe and the results were good.

However, my husband and two of the children were always having intestinal problems. It was not the same as if they had eaten gluten or milk, but it was still troublesome and annoying.

By *chance* one day when I was posting a recipe, I googled "xanthan" to make sure I was spelling it right and I came up with all sorts of information on xanthan gum that I never knew before. Lights started going on as I read and I began to wonder if xanthan was actually causing a reaction in some of my family.

I had been thinking that xanthan was a natural product - NOT SO! In fact, I learned that reactions are common and that the bacteria that produces the gum is grown on high fructose corn syrup (YUK!).

After sharing the information with my husband, he said he wanted me to eliminate xanthan gum from our use. I agreed, but inwardly I panicked! I have already eliminated all dairy, gluten, nuts and soy from my kitchen and xanthan is what holds all my baking together!

Well, the first step was to buy some guar gum. This stuff is a natural product - ground from the seed of a plant native to northern India and Pakistan. It can cause intestinal problems in large amounts (like when it was used in diet pills in large amounts to create a feeling of fullness in the stomach - it was banned as a diet pill after it was proven to cause intestinal blockages or damage when used in large amounts). In baking, I substitute it for xanthan gum in the recipe, using slightly more that the xanthan called for. The texture of the dough or batter is slightly different and I have trouble making a nice loaf of bread. :( But I am working on it and experimenting with different recipes. So far, I have gotten bread that holds together and is moist, but does not rise as nice or large as with xanthan gum.
I have included links to a few articles that you may find interesting on xanthan gum. Then you can choose if it is something you want to include in your baking or want or if you want to use guar gum.
Jenny

www.celiac.com/articles/21710/1/Could-Xanthan-Gum-Sensitivity-be-Complicating-your-Celiac-Disease-Recovery/Page1.html

www.wisegeek.com/what-is-guar-gum.htm

www.wisegeek.com/what-is-xanthan-gum.htm

Blender Pancakes - Again

2010-05-11T15:32:00.003-06:00

I know I have posted this recipe before, but here is an updated version with pictures:
This recipe starts with whole grains that are soaked for at least 12 hours (or up to 5 days). It is really one of my favorite recipes. I have given up eating almost all baked goods - except for Sunday dessert and these pancakes! With the soaked grains, they are very easily digested and full of goodness. I prefer when the grain soaks at least 3 days as I like the sourdough taste. I dry leftover pancakes to make canapes. I place them on the oven wrack on the lowest setting (I think my oven goes down to 150 degrees) and leave until crispy and dry. They are delicious dipped in garlicky olive oil and eaten with salmon and lemon. :)
You may want to thin your batter more then I have, depending on how thin you like your cakes.

1 cup whole brown rice
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1/2 cup millet
3 cups pure water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Combine the grains (you can go ahead and substitute any other gluten free whole grain for the buckwheat or millet) in a 2 qt container (I use a 2qt canning jar). Mix lightly and cover loosely (I use a coffee filter over the top of the jar with a rubber band to secure it). Let sit in a warm place overnight or up to 5 days - it has been my experience that any longer and it tastes too sour. If you are not going to use it after this time, just pop it into the fridge for a few days.

3 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp honey
Combine with the soaked grains and liquid in the blender (depending on your blender, you may need to do this in two batches). Puree until smooth.

1 cup tapioca or potato starch
1 tsp guar gum
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Sift dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour the puree mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Spoon onto a hot, greased griddle. Flip when bubbles form and the cakes are golden brown. Delicious with blueberries.

Beanie Weinie Scallopini

2010-04-25T22:46:00.005-06:00

Sorry - no picture. :(

This is the main dish that I took to our church potluck on Sunday. It is easy to put together and seems to be enjoyed by all.

1 lb GF hot dogs, smokies, or Mennonite sausage (I like mild Italian sausage)

5 medium potatoes, sliced thin

1 18 oz can, baked beans in tomato sauce (make sure they are GF)

1/2 cup medium salsa (or whatever heat you like)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup ketchup

-Cut sausage or hot dogs into bite sized pieces.

-Put all ingredients into a large casserole and stir well. Cover and bake at 370 degrees for 1 hour. I often use the slow-cooker for this recipe - cooking on high for 3 hours.

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake (Corrected Version)

2010-04-25T19:34:00.009-06:00

This morning I needed a dessert to take to our church potluck. I needed something easy and quick to make - and that did not contain chocolate (I've had too much of that lately!). I thought a coffee cake would be nice, but I really did not have a good recipe for one. I didn't have time to search out a gluten free recipe, so I just googled "blueberry coffee cake" and copied down the first recipe that came up!

It looked easy to convert to GF... and it turned out beautifully! I neglected to take a picture of it before we left for church, thinking that I would take a picture of a leftover piece after we got home.

Well.... apparently it was a big hit! :) There was only crumbs left. It WAS really yummy!

BLUEBERRY STRUESEL COFFEE CAKE

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1/2 cups tapioca starch

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1/2 cup butter or other solid fat

1 cup milk or milk substitute

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 380 degrees.

Combine the flour, starch, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum and lemon peel (which is optional - I was out of lemons, so I just added a little lemon flavoring) in a mixing bowl.

Cut in the butter or other fat.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour/fat mixture and stir until completely moistened.

Spread batter in a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over batter and lightly press down.

Mix streusel topping and sprinkle evenly over berries.

Bake for 35 min or until set - a toothpick should come out clean or with a crumb on it from the center of the cake.

Cool for 30 min and then drizzle icing over warm cake. Enjoy!

STRUESEL TOPPING

2/3 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup butter or other fat

1 tsp cinnamon (I used 2 tsp)

Combine to make course crumbs.

ICING GLAZE

1 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup almond flavoring

3-5 tsp milk or other non-dairy liquid

Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Cow Pie Cookies

2010-04-12T14:00:00.007-06:00

I know that my Mother would not like the name of these cookies...

but that is just how they look!

They are a crispy cookie that taste like oatmeal - chock full of all sorts of yummy stuff.

Cow Pie Cookies

1 cup rice flour

1 cup tapioca or potato starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup melted butter, margarine or lard

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut (or mixed coconut and nuts like slivered almonds)

2 cups gluten free corn flakes, broken

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups raisins (or mixed dried fruit: dates, craisins, etc)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~In a large mixing bowl, combine the first set of dry ingredients (flour, starch, etc.)

~ Add the melted fat, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

~Stir in the coconut, broken corn flakes, chocolate chips, fruit and nuts (if using).

~Drop tablespoons of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets. Wet the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass and flatten cookies.

~Bake for about 10 minutes or until set. Makes about 8 dozen 1 1/2" cookies.

Crispy Fish Cakes

2010-04-09T09:14:00.010-06:00

This was in my "New Recipes To Try" folder - and last night I finally tied it out.

I put it to the family vote after supper and 9/9 voted to add it to our monthly menu plan from now on.

I served it with a Creamy Dill and Garlic Sauce.

To add some extra flavor, I substituted a can of tuna for a tin of herring in hot sauce. It added just a hint of heat which was very pleasant. A few drops of Tabasco would add the same effect, I think.

Crispy Fish Cakes

1 large onion - chopped fine

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup cold mashed potatoes

1 lb leftover fish - boned and flaked or 3 cans of tuna in water, drained

2 Tbsp gluten free fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper

rice flour

seasoning salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

fine gluten free bread crumbs

oil and/or butter for frying

1. Heat the first amount of olive oil in a heavy pan. Add chopped onions and cook gently until clear.

2. Scrape the onions and oil into a bowl. Add the cold mashed potatoes, fish, fish sauce, egg, parsley and salt and pepper. Stir with a fork to mix ingredients. Chill to make it easier to handle.

3. Mix the rice flour with some seasoning salt. Shape the chilled fish mixture into 16 fish cakes. Coat first in the seasoned rice flour, then in the beaten egg and then in the gluten free bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet until ready to fry. (I ran out of crumbs as I was doubling this recipe - I substituted the crumbs with a mix of rice flour and corn meal).

4. Heat oil and/or butter in a heavy pan and gently fry each fish cake until crispy and brown on both sides. Keep hot until served.

Oven method: This is what I used as I was making so many and it cuts back on the oil. Place the coated cakes on a lightly oiled cookie sheet (I used olive oil). Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Flip cakes and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until golden brown.

Creamy Dill and Garlic Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's) or 1/2 mayonnaise and 1/2 sour cream

2-4 dill pickles, chopped very fine

3 Tbsp juice from the dill pickles

1 tsp dried dill weed

1/4 tsp dried garlic powder - or 1 clove garlic, minced (or more to taste)

2 Tbsp dried parsley

Mix well and serve. Keeps in the fridge for at least 1 week. Good with fish or as a veggie dip.

Hello Again

2010-03-03T16:27:00.002-07:00

I have been woefully unfaithful in posting recipes! The fault has been a combination of family demands, personal needs and the cooking blahs. I am sure I am not the only cook who has times when I only cook because my family needs to eat - not because I like it or feel creative. I have gotten over my cooking slump, though, so things are looking up!

I have several recipes that I have marked to post and that will be one of my priorities over the next couple of weeks.... hope you enjoy!

A "Secret Ingredient"

2010-01-18T23:09:00.002-07:00

A friend passed on a tip to me the other day. Grace lives down the street from me and has two grown daughters with Celiac, as well as several sisters and nieces (and nephews? - I can't remember :))
Her sister had mentioned that she puts a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in her gluten free baking (muffins, cakes, waffles, pancakes, etc) and it results in a lighter, better texture! I have yet to try it, but I am eager to see if it makes a difference. I imagine it adds some acidity that makes the baking powder more effective (???) or something like that.

Worth a try, I say!

Sweet Potato or Squash Bake

2009-12-24T23:48:00.003-07:00

I never liked sweet potatoes, until I tried this recipe! Even my kids all eat this and love it! If you like pumpkin pie, you will like this. Also, it is much healthier than the traditional marshmallow topped potatoes.

3 cups hot, mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash
1/2 cup milk or cream (I use coconut milk)
3 Tbsp butter or margarine (I use olive oil or coconut oil)
1/4 cup brown sugar or 3 Tbsp honey
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp of each of the following: allspice, salt & nutmeg
(marshmallows for top, but optional)

-Combine the squash or potatoes and beat in milk, egg, sugar and spices until smooth. Pour into a greased casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min or until set. If using marshmallows, add to the top and brown for 5-10 minutes. Serves 6-8.

Gluten Free Stuffing (Dressing)

2009-12-24T18:02:00.006-07:00

No Christmas or Thanksgiving meal would be complete at our home without this side dish! I make this for the family get together on my Husband's side of the family. I times this recipe by three to serve forty people. One batch serves 10-12 people.

1 gallon bucket of gluten free bread cubes (about 1.5 loaves of bread, cubed). I usually collect

leftover toast, cornbread, bread heels, etc in the freezer to use for stuffing. I do not use

dry breadcrumbs to make this stuffing as the rice bread is so hard when dry. If you do

use dry bread, adjust the amount of liquid accordingly.

1/2 cup fat - turkey or bacon fat is best, but oil, butter, margarine, or lard are also good.

1 cup turkey or chicken broth or bouillon

2 cups celery, chopped (about 5 stalks)

2 cups onion, chopped (about 2 medium onions)
1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

4 tsp poultry seasoning

-Put the fat, broth, salt, pepper and seasoning into a sauce pan.

-Add cut vegetables and bring to a boil.

-Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

-Place the breadcrumbs into a large roaster, casserole or slow cooker.

-Pour the seasoning/vegetable mixture over the bread cubes and stir to coat. If the bread still seems dry, add more broth.

-Bake in covered casserole for 45 - 60 minutes at 325 degrees. In the slow cooker, place on low for 2-3 hours.

-Serve with turkey or chicken.

Melting Moments

2009-12-21T17:52:00.003-07:00

These cookies are egg free I will be posting some pictures as soon as I have mine baked. :)

Christmas would not seem like Christmas without these pretty pink and white shortbread cookies as dessert. They are a family tradition from my Grandma Olive. These were always on the table at her house at Christmas. I remember one Christmas when I was about 14: I stayed with my Grandparents for a few days before Christmas to help Grandma prepare. We baked these little cookies together and sat at their oak dining table visiting while we iced them. It was a treat to be the only grandchild there while we worked together, baking, cleaning and decorating: pinning up the felt gingerbread man valance on top of her blue gingham dining room curtains. Oh what blessed things memories are!

Melting Moments

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup butter (I will say no substitutes because that is what Grandma said... but we can not eat butter, so I do substitute with Imperial Margarine - maybe coconut oil would work?)

1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup corn starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

Cream butter and sugar. Add the sifted dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl and mix ingredients until very smooth and light.... about 5 min.. Chill for 20 min. Roll dough into SMALL balls (1/4 of a Tablespoon). Press down with a wet fork to make a flatish-round cookie. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 min or until set but not brown. Cool. Sandwich two cookies together with a very light pink vanilla icing (flat sides together).

Chocolate Melting Moments

I know you can't improve upon perfection, but perfection can come in more than one variety: vanilla and chocolate. :)

Make the above recipe, adding 1 square of melted unsweetened chocolate to the batter and increasing the icing sugar to 3/4 cup. Bake a couple of cookies. If they are kind of runny or do not hold their shape, add a Tablespoon or two of potato starch. (I'm sorry this isn't very definite, but this is the way I bake and it has been a year since I made these... when I bake this time, I will take notes and write this out better:-) Bake as above.

To ice, melt some semi-sweet chocolate (can be baker's chocolate or any chocolate bar, etc) adding 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine. Stir while melting and add a little milk or milk substitute if it seems too thick. Put cookies together with the chocolate, propping them so they do not slide apart before they set up.

Christmas Baking Is Coming Up!!!

2009-12-19T17:53:00.003-07:00

I will be posting some Christmas baking shortly (probably as I do my own) :)
If any of you want to send me your Christmas recipes, I would love to post them here. Or you could just post a comment with a link to a recipe that works for you. I would love to try some new things! I will also try to include a few more recipes that are egg free.

Egg Free Apple Sauce Muffins

2009-12-03T19:04:00.007-07:00

These muffins were adapted from the recipe on Daily Pleasures. I was hesitant to try a recipe without eggs as I have felt that gluten free baking really needs eggs to turn out well. These muffins were a very pleasant surprise - they turned out moist, soft and surprisingly light. On the second day, they were a little bit dry, but a few seconds in the microwave restored them to a fresh state. I was so pleased to post a recipe that my "egg-free" friends can use.
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup honey or sugar
1 1/2 cup thick apple sauce
1/2 cup water

METHOD: Just as a note, if your apple sauce is runny, you will not need to add as much water. Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add all wet ingredients and mix well. Spoon into greased muffin tins or paper muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if desired. Bake at 385 F for 20 min. This makes 12 muffins. These smell wonderful while baking. Raisins would be a lovely addition.

Devilish Dessert

2009-11-16T18:42:00.006-07:00

My husband named this "Devilish Dessert" because he said the wicked stuff always overpowers his better judgement to have a second piece. :)
My Dad suggested "Heavenly Dessert", for pretty much the same reason.
This recipe makes a 9x13 pan.
BASE:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
Combine the crumbs, margarine and sugar together thoroughly. Place in a 9x13" pan and press down firmly and evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Cool.

PUDDING LAYER:
4 cups warm milk or milk substitute (I use coconut milk - it gives a wonderful flavor - I take
one can of rich coconut milk and dilute with pure water to make the 4 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (or equivalent in unsweetened chocolate)
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp rice flour
2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 tsp butter or margarine, optional
Place flour, cocoa, sugar and salt in a sauce pan, whisking to mix. Slowly add the warm milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Stir over medium heat until thickened. Whisk in the beaten eggs and cook for about 1 min, stirring to prevent burning. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter (if using). Pour over crust and place in fridge to cool.

TOPPING:
Beat 1 cup of cream or whip topping and apply to cooled pudding. Cut into squares and serve.

VARIATIONS:
Make vanilla pudding by removing the cocoa and decreasing the sugar if desired. Instead of whipping cream on top, you could add meringue - and you have a traditional "Flapper Pie".

You could make Banana Cream by making the vanilla pudding: first slice 2 or 3 bananas on the crust and pour the pudding over. Top with whipping cream.

Note: The chocolate recipe makes a semi-sweet chocolate - if you prefer a sweeter chocolate, increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. If you own a Vita-Mix blender, this recipe was developed from the one on page 108 of the recipe book that comes with the mixer. You can follow their directions for using the mixer to make the pudding.

Waffles

2009-11-14T16:27:00.009-07:00

My family enjoys when I make a special brunch on Sundays. Waffles are the kid's favorite choice. These turn out light and crisp and are nice to store in the freezer to heat in the toaster as needed. (Yes, this is my husband's breakfast - I interrupted him to take a picture of his meal) :)

GLUTEN FREE WAFFLES

2 cups rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

4 eggs

3 cups water

1/2 cup oil or melted butter

METHOD:
Sift dry ingredients together. Whisk eggs, water and oil or butter together and then stir it into the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter.

Pour 1/2 cup of batter into a hot waffle iron and cook until the waffle stops steaming and is lightly brown and crisp.

Serve hot or keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. If you are freezing them, let them cool on racks. Freeze on cookie sheets and when hard, place in bags.

I Finally Tried This Recipe... "Spring Rolls"

2009-10-28T19:27:00.008-06:00

I have been wanting to try this for quite some time and I finally pulled the time and ingredients together. I had originally posted this recipe back in August. I also baked instead of frying as this recipe suggested. I didn't use her filling recipe though. Instead, this is the recipe that I used for the filling.

I used rice paper for my spring rolls. METHOD:

-I dipped one piece of rice paper in warm water, holding under for about 5 seconds.

-I laid the softened piece of rice paper flat on a damp tea towel.

-I scooped about 3 tbsp. of filling onto the edge of the rice paper.

-Then I rolled it once, folded up the edges, and finished rolling in a log shape.

-Repeating until all the filling was gone, I then laid the finished rolls on a baking sheet, leaving a space between each one.

-I then brushed each roll liberally with olive oil.

-Bake at 450 degrees for about 30 min, or until browned and crisp. You may want to finish with the broiler for a few minutes to brown. I served them with a red sauce.

Everyone enjoyed them... even Wafe who is not usually veggie fan.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

2009-10-21T07:26:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in the last post how I had been working with breads this last week. I used the Potato Bread from the last post to make a Cinnamon Roll Loaf that has received rave reviews by the family. It turned out soft and moist on the inside with a crusty outer crust. We always have a special brunch on Christmas morning and this year, I plan on serving this bread. :) It is, like most gluten free baking, best eaten fresh. Once it is a day old, warm in microwave.

First of all, I made a single loaf of potato bread, following the directions in this post. If you make the whole recipe, you will have two loaves: you can half the recipe to make one loaf...or you can make the whole recipe and have one plain loaf and one cinnamon roll loaf.

Next, I mixed the filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup rice flour
Use a fork to mix well and cut in the margarine.

Grease a pan to bake the bread in. I used a small oval roaster as it had a nice shape. If you use a loaf pan, use a large one - not the regular size as it will be too small.

Then lay out a tea towel that has a smooth grain (not waffled) and dust it liberally with tapioca starch.

Scrape the bread dough into a pile in the center of the tea towel. This is a very soft dough and it would be impossible to work with any other way.

With a spatula, spread the dough into a rectangle shape - about as wide as the length of your pan. I spread it about 3/4" thick. It may make it easier to keep dipping your spatula in water as you spread the dough to keep it from sticking.

Spread the cinnamon-sugar-raisin mixture over the dough, leaving about 2" at the end uncovered so it will seal after rolling the dough.

Now gently pick up the end of the towel opposite the end that you left the 2" plain. As you lift the towel, the dough will start rolling.

Keep lifting and rolling the dough until it is almost at the end. Then with one hand, pick up the bottom end of the towel, hold it over your greased pan and let the dough roll into the pan.

It should look something like this. I have made this bread three times and it rolled different every time - once tearing the dough a little... but in the end, it turned out fine and looked nice.

Let rise and bake according to the potato bread recipe instructions and ENJOY! The bread below was delicious, but the swirl was a little lopsided... my subsequent efforts turned out more even. ;) The last time I baked this, I iced the loaf which was nice.

Be sure to shake the tea towel outside to remove most of the starch before laundering. :)

Potato Bread

2009-10-19T15:40:00.000-06:00

I did some experimenting over the past couple weeks with my basic bread recipe and this is what I came up with...

The step I added to the recipe was I first peeled, cubed &boiled a med-small potato in about 2 cups of water. When it was very tender, I dumped the potato and water into my blender and pured until smooth. I then added enough extra liquid to have the amount needed in the recipe, adjusting the temperature to have it right for the yeast.
I then mixed the bread according to the recipe, adding my potato water as the liquid. The result was light buns and lovely bread. It rose so high, had a fine texture, and a pleasant potato bread taste.

I found that I had to add a little more liquid with this method than I normally do. You will have to adjust the liquids in this recipe according to your altitude and air humidity (I live in a dry climate, at about 3,000 ft above sea level).

I'll Be Back...

2009-10-11T19:55:00.000-06:00

I have been slow posting recipes this last couple weeks because of some family needs. Starting teaching school again, has of course taken extra energy but that is settling out.

The main challenge has been some problems with my pregnancy - it just has not been normal. Finally, on Monday last (at 22 weeks), the Dr. confirmed that our little one had died.

I had a D&C on Wednesday so I am still recovering from all this... both physically and emotionally.

Thank you for patience... I look forward to posting more recipes soon.

I had hoped to get up my Turkey dressing recipe as well as some other holiday recipes up in time for Canadian Thanksgiving, but they should be up in time for US Thanksgiving... or for sure by Christmas. :)

Jenny

The Quintessential Gingersnap Cookie

2009-09-30T19:44:00.002-06:00

When I tried this recipe (converted from a gluten recipe), I had one goal: to bake a cookie that my husband could not resist.

And that was no easy task... as Steven is not no cookie lover.

He doesn't like chocolate chip (too rich).

He will rarely eat a gingerbread cookie (too "gingery").

Sugar cookies are too sweet.

Snickerdoodles are too bland.

And then there is texture: it should not be hard and crunchy, nor should it be doughy.

That was my challenge... and these Ginger Cookies were my triumph.

They are 100% Hubby approved!

And he is not the only one who has enjoyed them...

Emily from "In His Hands"

THE QUINTESSENTIAL GINGERSNAP COOKIE

3/4 cup butter, shortening or lard

1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses (I use unsulferated blackstrap molasses - THE BEST FLAVOR!)

1 1/3 cup rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup cinnamon sugar for dipping cookies in

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 F.
-Sift the flour, starch, xanthan gum, soda, salt and spices together to blend evenly.
-Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses and beat until smooth.
-Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly, until a soft dough forms.
-Use a spoon to scoop a ball of dough, about 1" in diameter. drop the ball into the cinnamon sugar to coat one side. Place the balls, sugar side up on a baking sheet.
-Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the tops are slightly cracked and the edges look firm and slightly browned.

The Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie

2009-09-30T19:38:00.000-06:00

These are crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle.

These cookies receive rave reviews by all who try them... gluten intolerant or not!

THE DECADENT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

1 cup butter (can substitute margarine or lard)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar - packed lightly

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups rice flour

1 1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp hot water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

-Cream the butter and sugars until smooth.

-Beat in the eggs one at a time and them stir in the vanilla.

-Dissolve the baking soda in hot water and add to the batter along with the salt.

-Sift the flour, starch, xanthan gum and cream of tartar together and stir into the batter along with the chocolate chips and nuts (we can not eat nuts so I substitute 1 cup of coconut which tastes great).

-Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

-Bake for 9-10 min in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly browned.

-Try not to eat them ALL in one day - I can not be held responsible for your ruined diets or gained pounds. ;)

Iced Lemon Cake

2009-09-26T10:54:00.000-06:00

ICED LEMON CAKE

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp grated lemon rind (I grated off the zest from 1 small lemon)

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup rice flour

1/3 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" round cake pan.

-In a mixing bowl, cream the butter or margarine and the sugar.

-Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest. Beat on high

for about 3 minutes - or until light and fluffy.

-In a separate bowl, thoroughly sift the flour, starch, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.

-Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture along with the lemon juice and stir until just

blended.

-Scrape batter into the greased pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a

tooth pick comes out clean.

-Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

-Ice when cool.

GLAZE:

-1 cup icing sugar with enough fresh lemon juice to make a glaze. Spoon over top of cake.

NOTE: If this cake is doubled, it can be baked in 9" spring form pan for 45 min or until a

toothpick comes out clean. Most gluten free baking goes dry and stale

very quickly, but this cake keeps very well - staying moist and tasty for several days if

tightly covered..

Cinnamon Buns

2009-09-23T19:07:00.000-06:00

I tried this recipe from the I Am Gluten Free blog site. She also included a link to another site that had great pictures showing a step by step method to make these cinnamon buns.

I made the buns for our Sunday brunch and I followed the recipe exactly. We found them much too sweet (this could be helped by cutting back on the filling) and rather "pasty". My Hubby can not tolerated baked goods that are doughy or pasty or dry or crumbly or.... you get the idea. These buns were "OK" in his opinion but he gave no rave reviews. He really likes the bought Kinnikinnick cinnamon buns. They are soft and slightly chewy with just the right amount of sweetness.

I have included this recipe because it was very easy to follow, had great pictures and the product was tasty. Will I make it again?? "No." But not because does not have value but because it just does not suit our family's tastes.

It did give me a place to start from and I will be experimenting to find a cinnamon bun recipe my family loves. I think I will go back to a secret cinnamon bun recipe I was once given (wheat of course) and borrow some ideas for my gluten free ones. I'll keep you posted... :)

Artisan Herb Bread

2009-09-23T15:04:00.000-06:00

I baked this today because I had an craving for BREAD!

We had it for supper along with baked salmon (done on the BBQ because it was so hot out), fresh sliced tomatoes and stir fried vegetables.

When fresh, this bread is so soft and tasty that you could serve it "gluten people" without apology. :)

Remember with yeast bread recipes: This bread turns out beautifully for me, but I live at a high altitude and in a dry climate. You may have to adjust the amount of liquids used to suit where you live.

ARTISAN HERB BREAD

1 cup tapioca starch

3/4 cup potato starch

1 1/2 cup rice flour

1 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp psylliam husks

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

3 Tbsp fresh chives, diced (or 3 tsp dried)

1 egg

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

olive oil

sesame seeds or poppy seeds

METHOD:

-Sift all dry ingredients together (including yeast and seasoning) in a mixing bowl. Add egg, oil and warm water all together and mix on medium for 3 min.

-Cover bowl and let rise for 10 min.

-Turn oven on to 425 degrees and grease a 9" round cake pan.

-Stir batter down and scrape into greased round pan. Smooth the top and drizzle with olive oil. Spread oil around with your fingers, smoothing the top as you do so. Sprinkle with your choice of topping: sesame or poppy seeds.

-Let rise another 10 min or until slightly above the level of the cake pan.

-Bake for 30 min or until golden brown on top and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

-Let cool before slicing.

Betty's Corn Bread or Muffins

2009-09-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

My first efforts at gluten free corn bread were very dry and crumbly. Consequently I was delighted when a friend passed on her recipe which turned out beautifully moist and tasty. I have altered the recipe slightly, but it is very close to Betty's original.

CORN BREAD

2/3 cups butter or margarine (I use light olive oil)

1/2 cup sugar or honey

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk or milks substitute (I use coconut milk)

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1 cup tapioca starch (or a mix of tapioca and potato starch)

1 cup corn meal

2 tsp guar gum (I use 1 tsp xanthan gum)

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

METHOD:

-Cream butter (or substitute) with sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and milk.

-Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

-Add the four mixture to the creamed mixture and mix till smooth.

-Pour into a greased 9"x13" pan or 16 greased or papered muffin cups.

-Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

We use corn bread as a side with stews and soups as well as well as for breakfast.

New Gluten Free Site

2009-09-20T08:27:00.000-06:00

I discovered a great looking gluten free blog this morning and I wanted to pass it on. I will be adding this to the label on the sidebar of great gluten free sites. I am also trying a cinnamon bun recipe from her site this morning... I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-08-27T15:58:00.000-06:00

This is the epitome of comfort food! Pot pie is usually on the fall menu at our house... just the time of year when a dish like this is most appreciated. Maybe we have been out cutting fire wood or raking up leaves or digging the last of the potatoes... then we'll come in to hot pot pie, fresh salad and sourdough bread, it simply tastes wonderful!

There are some other reasons to serve pot pie: First, it is economical - we were not able to raise chickens this year so we are being stingy with our bought chicken. This recipe feeds our family on about 4 cups of chicken.

Secondly, it gives the cook a chance to be creative. In the top crust, I will sometimes carve a scene of a hen with chicks, sometimes a proud cock, sometimes just swirls and curls like in the picture. When I used this recipe for venison, I carved a buck jumping a fence. Maybe it's silly, but I find it fun. Pie dough is a rather interesting medium. :-)

CHICKEN POT PIE

3 large potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes

3 large carrots, diced into 1/2" chunks

1/3 cup butter or olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, sliced

1/2 cup rice flour

3 tbsp chicken soup base (gluten free)

salt and pepper to taste

1 small clove of garlic, minced

4 1/2 cups hot water

1 cup frozen peas

4 cups diced, cooked chicken

1 Tbsp dried parsley

gluten free pie crust

METHOD:

-Put potatoes and carrots together in a pot. Add water and cook untill just tender. Drain and reserve to add later.

-Heat the butter or olive oil in a heavy sauce pan or fry pan. Add the onion and celery and cook until tender.

-Add the flour and stir into the vegetables so that it absorbs the extra fat and moisture. Add the soup base, salt and pepper and garlic to the pan and cook on low heat for 5 min.

-Turn up heat to med-high. Add the hot water (can use water from cooking potatoes and carrots) while stirring the vegetables. Bring to a boil and decrease heat to low and cook until thickened. -Add the cooked potatoes and carrots, along with the frozen peas, chicken and parsley. Heat until bubbly. Pour into casserole or baking dish.

-Top with pie crust, following direction is pie crust recipe. Cut slits for steam to escape - or carve a scene :-). Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and gravey is bubbling.

Quick Rice Wraps

2009-08-27T15:41:00.001-06:00

Wraps cooling for our lunch.

These wraps are so basic and easy. If I am out of bread, I make these for the family at lunch with a hot or cold filling. I avoid yeast bread myself so I often make up a small batch at breakfast or lunch. One of my favorite fillings is stir fried veggies with a little mayo. We have even used these to wrap a hot dog with. It works pretty nifty.

1 cup rice flour (brown or white - corn flour is also good)

1 cup tapioca starch

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg

2 cups water (I start with 1 1/2 and add the last 1/2 cup if I need it - batter will be quite runny)

Method:

-Put a heavy, round fry pan on med-high heat.

-Combine ingredients and whisk until smooth.

-When a drop of water "dances" around on the pan, it is hot enough. Pour about1/3 cup of batter onto the pan and immediately turn the pan to spread it out to a 6" round (as you would do for crepes).

-Let cook until the top looks dry and the very edges curl up a little. Flip and cook until slightly brown.

-If your pan is hot enough, these do not stick and cook very fast. Sometimes I grease the pan lightly for the first one, but usually it doesn't need it. For faster cooking, I get two or three pans going at once.

-If you add 1-2 Tbsps of ground flax seed to the batter, it is very tasty and adds extra fiber.

Affordable Rice Pasta

2009-08-27T15:12:00.000-06:00

I have been meaning to post this for a while... and then when Becky emailed me and asked about it... I finally got it done. :)

This great rice pasta is available at "Real Canadian Superstore". The top is ripped off the bag, but it is their "Presidents Choice" brand. I believe that it was in the pasta isle, near middle where the pasta ends and the sauces begin... and since every Superstore is set up nearly the same, it should be easy to find. I have been to the stores in Red Deer and Airdrie and found it in the same place.

The stores are reorganizing... so everything has been moved around (ahhhhh!) - but they are making a "health section" where they have gluten free, organic, low sugar, misc. You have to watch as they will have gluten free pasta right beside organic durum pasta... just read labels.

The real bonus with this pasta is that it is a whole lot less expensive than other leading rice pasta brands. We have bought Celi-Mix, Tinkyada and others. They are all pretty good, but they run from $5-$7 per package. This rice pasta is about $2.50 per package.

That is a pretty good deal as one package feeds our family of 9.

It comes in the curly pasta (shown) and spaghetti.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

2009-08-22T12:35:00.000-06:00

This was reprinted from my other blog, "At The Rose Cottage" - it was posted last May.

We did some applied math today.... at least Millie did. The result was multiplication.

You see, we were able to get 20lbs of ripe bananas for $1. Thus we were going to bake banana bread to put in the freezer. We started with a recipe for 1 loaf. We multiplied it to make 6 loaves. Then we realized that our mixer bowl would not hold that much batter, so Millie was going to divide the recipe to make two batches of 3 loaves.... we didn't write it out, she was just doing it in her head.

All went well, she mixed the two batches, started putting them in pans.... when she realized that she had put the whole salt amount in both half batches! OOPS!

We tasted the batter and it did taste salty. Solution: add a two loaf batch to each 3 loaf batch (our mixer would JUST hold that much). Bake one batch while we eat supper and the second while we clean up. Fine. All is well that ends well (minus a few tears).

It is an ill wind that blows no good.... three good things came. First, Millie realized she had missed the baking powder in both batches and was able to fix that :)

Secondly, we got LOTS of banana bread in the freezer.

Thirdly, I promised her that I would type out the recipe on the blog and then print it for us. Thus we will have a much neater recipe to work from... so our multiplying will not get out of hand again!

GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD

This makes just 1 loaf - multiply with caution :)

1/3 cup cooking oil or butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or other nut/seed - optional

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - optional

METHOD:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream the oil or butter and sugar together.

-Add the eggs & mashed bananas and mix well.

-Add all dry ingredients at one time. Mix until smooth.

-Scrape batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Let sit for about 5 minutes before removing form the pan and place on a cooling rack until cool.

-If I am freezing this, I wait until the next day and then slice the loaf and then wrap for the freezer. Multiply and enjoy!

Baked Rice Paper Spring Rolls

2009-08-22T10:30:00.000-06:00

A friend sent me a link to this site and it looks GREAT! (A Gluten Free Day) One recipe of interest is the Baked Rice Paper Spring Rolls . They look wonderfully delicious!

I have bought the rice papers at Canadian Wholesale Club before, but I did not know how to use them. Now I do! :)

Hope you enjoy!

Oreo-Type Cookies

2009-08-17T20:24:00.000-06:00

This is a recipe that I do not make very often. Not because it is not good, but because it requires more than one step :) My daughter, Millie is more ambitious than I and made up a batch with mint icing... Grasshopper Cookies.

They were very tasty, and I wondered again why I don't make them more often... oh ya, I don't like icing cookies...

If you store them in a loosely covered container, they stay crunchy. If you cover them tightly, they get moist (my favorite). Try with mint or vanilla icing... I bet these would make good ice cream cookies, too!

OREO TYPE COOKIES

3/4 cups butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup rice flour

2/3 cups tapioca starch

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/1 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 cup milk or milk substitute (I use coconut milk)

METHOD:

-Cream butter or margarine and sugar together. Scrape the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.

-Combine all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and lightly mix together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix well - I use the cookie paddle on my upright mixer.

-Chill the dough so is easier to work with.

-Roll out on a tapioca starched board - if dough is still too sticky to work with , kneed in a little tapioca starch. Cut out with a glass or round cookie cutter - Emilie cut out rounds that were almost 2" in diameter. These were plenty big, and you may want to cut smaller ones for daintier cookies.

-Place cookies on baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10minutes. Cool on racks.

-Cool cookies before icing and then sandwich two cookies together with the bottoms sides together with mint or vanilla filling.

Mint Filling:

2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1+ Tbsp milk or milk substitute

green food coloring

1 or 2 drops peppermint extract.

Cream the icing sugar and butter or margarine together. Add milk a little at a time until it is a cream, spreadable consistency. Add the peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring to get a mild green color. Spread between cookies.

Perfect Pie Crust (Well... Almost Perfect!)

2009-08-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

This recipe was a bit of a challenge, but since my hubby loves pie,

I was highly motivated to come up with something workable.

PIE PASTRY

2 1/2 cups rice flour

1 1/2 cups tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

4 Tbsp sugar1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups lard - cut into cubes

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup water

METHOD:

-Combine dry ingredients together.

-Cut in lard until the size of small peas.

-Whisk eggs, vinegar and water together and stir into flour mixture until just blended. Do not over blend. Because rice flour does not absorb liquid the same way as wheat (it does not absorb as much or as fast), the dough may be a little wet looking at first, but in a minute it absorbs the extra.

-Now the handling of the dough... typically gluten free pastry is very hard to handle, however, I find this dough fairly workable. You can simply press the dough into a pie plate or you can roll it out. The following instructions are how I roll out this dough. This is not a tidy process, and it really helps if you hold your tongue in the corner of your mouth while you work. :-)

1. Start with a round piece of dough on a well floured cutting board - I use tapioca starch on the board.

2. Roll out the dough on the board, keeping the general round shape. Of course, if your dish is a different shape than a pie plate, roll out your dough accordingly.

3. Take a pancake flipper and slide it under the dough on the board. Do this all around your piece of dough to loosen it completely from the board.

4. Hold the board over the pie plate and start the dough sliding off the board onto the pie plate. Go slow because if you get it in the wrong place, it will probably fall apart while you attempt to straiten it.

5. Finish letting the dough slide off the board.

6. Straiten the dough - fitting it to the dish. Trim the edges.

7. You now have pie shells ready to fill. Use the same method for the top crust of the pie, wetting the edge of the bottom crust so that they will stick together. Crimp edges and cut slits in the top. The same method works for pot pie or deep dish pie.

Rhubarb Pie With a Twist

2009-08-05T22:21:00.000-06:00

My birthday was on August 1st. I turned the lovely age of 34!

We also had to go to a wedding that day so birthday stuff kind of got put on hold for a couple of days. That was just fine!

On Monday, my husband kindly ordered Chinese food for supper to give me a break from cooking (from a restaurant in our town that will coat their ginger beef with only corn starch on request :).

In the afternoon, I got to thinking that I would really like a rhubarb pie for desert. I haven't made one yet this year and it is one of my favorites! So, because it was my birthday, I thought I would splurge and make some pies. They were delicious (!!!) served with my daughter's homemade dairy free ice cream (I've got to post that recipe soon while it is still hot out). I vacillated over making a custard pie or a regular one... but I finally decided to try out an idea that I had (using an extra ingredient) with the regular rhubarb pie recipe...

RHUBARB JELLO PIE

Pastry for a 2 crust pie (either for a mix or using the recipe that I will be posting separately so it is easy to find :)

4-5 cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar

pinch salt

4 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 small package of jello (I used strawberry, but cherry or raspberry would be good )

METHOD:

-Prepare GF pastry according to directions.

-Put all other ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss to mix and coat the rhubarb.

-Turn fruit mix into the pie shell.

-Roll out top crust according to directions, flute edges and cut slits in the top.

-Sprinkle the top crust with sugar. Bake on bottom shelf at 350 degrees for 45-55 min.

-Serve with whip cream or ice cream - it is heavenly warm!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings... or Meatballs!

2009-07-30T21:22:00.001-06:00

This recipe was on Tereza's cooking blog and it looked so good (she has a great picture up) that I had to try it tonight. I didn't have any chicken wings so I thought I would try it with meatballs instead. They were a hit with the family (especially the boys :). I served them with a Rainbow Pasta Salad (will post that recipe later), which isn't such a hit with the boys... but they do not really like salads of any kind, so their vote doesn't count :)

Tereza has been dairy free for a while (for herself only, her husband and nine kids eat "normal"). She has recently gone gluten free as well because of various health concerns. She is very creative and has a great attitude, but I think it gets hard to always have separate food prepared for herself. You will want to check out her blog and to get ideas from her journey.

I have copied the recipe just as she had it... I did include the sesame seeds and they were very nice. The only changes I made was to add about 2 Tbsp of vinegar and I used about half as much garlic powder. I also made them in an electric fry pan so not to overheat the house when it is hot.

SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN WINGS

Ingredients:

~ 1 bulk pack of chicken wings

~1 cup ketchup

~2tbsp honey

~1tbsp mustard (I used dried)

~1 tsp salt

~1 tsp pepper

~1tbsp garlic powder

~1/2 cup water

~sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

Arrange the chicken wings the wrong side down in a baking pan.

Mix together the above ingredients and pour on top of wings.

Cover with tin foil and bake in oven at 375F for about 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Then remove the foil and broil for an additional -15 minutes or so (on low). Watch you don't burn the chicken at this point~ only "golden" them up a bit.

Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta salad or chow mien. When you place the ready wings on a platter (if that's what you do~I just dish them straight to the plates..plastic ones to boot...yes we're simlifyiers:) make sure you now place your chicken the right side up. It will be nicely covered with the sauce. Enjoy!

Hamberger "Bun" Solution

2009-07-27T13:11:00.000-06:00

Anyone who has is forced to eat gluten free, has also been forced to be creative. One area that we have had to be creative in is sandwiches. In particular: hamburgers.

Now my husband really misses having a good old hamburger... you know, light bun, grilled paddy, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mushroom, onion, relish, mustard, ketchup... the works.

We have tried baking different kinds of buns, but none have really turned out how he likes them: light. We just have to face the fact that GF breads are denser and heavier than wheat breads. So we came up with another solution...

"The Pancake Burger"

OK, don't turn me off, I am serious! My husband says this tastes almost like a McDonald's burger - and that the pancakes are about as thick as a McDonald's hamburger bun, anyways. :)

So, now when we have a BBQ, we make up a batch of these little pancakes that just fit the hamburger paddies perfectly. They are tidy and easy to hold onto and make us feel like we are eating a real hamburger again.

By the way, this recipe makes fine breakfast pancakes, too. Since I avoid yeast, I keep some of these in the freezer to toast for lunch to eat with my chicken salad or whatever. They really are a solution for a lot of problems at our house! :)

BASIC PANCAKES

1 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

2 Tbsp glutenous rice flour* or instant mashed potato flakes*, optional

pinch of xanthan gum (less than 1/8 tsp)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oil

2 eggs

1 cup water or milk

METHOD:

-Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

- Add the oil, eggs and water all together and whisk until smooth.

-Pour onto a hot, greased griddle in small rounds. Turn when the edges appear dry and they are browned.

*The glutenous rice flour does NOT have gluten in it... it is just ground from a sticky rice. I get it in the oriental section in my grocery store.

*Make sure that the mashed potato flakes are gluten free.

The purpose of the glutenous rice flour or the potato flakes is it makes the pancakes more moist and gives them a nicer texture.

Psyllium Husk Information

2009-07-25T14:42:00.001-06:00

Several people have asked me about the psyllium husks that are included in by bread recipe so I want to add some information about it. First of all, I realized that I was spelling it wrong (it has a "y" not an "i").

My family doctor first told me about psyllium when I first had allergies in answer to my question of how to get enough fiber. Psyllium husks are the outer seed covering of the psyllium plant seeds. They are very high in fiber and contain a compound that when mixed with water, makes a mucilage. This mucilage is very healing to the bowel, provides a soft fiber to ease constipation (or avoid it), absorb toxins, help lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and stop diarrhea.

The natural product, Metamucil which is used for relieving constipation and promoting regularity is simply Psyllium. Interestingly, Psyllium is not habit forming: meaning, your colon does not come to depend on you ingesting Psylium in order to eliminate.

You can buy Psyllium at health food stores. I get it a store called "Nutter's" in a bulk bin for a fairly reasonable price. Actually the price on the bin does not look reasonable, but Psyllium husks are so light that they do not add up fast. You can also buy it in capsules which are "easier to swallow" if taking it for your bowel health - as opposed to drinking the slimy mucilage. If you take the husks dry in capsules, you just have to drink a full glass of water and the the slimy stuff forms inside :)

Of course for baking purposes, you will want to get it bulk. If you just can not find it, you can buy the Metamucil at any drug store and just use a couple Tbsp of that in the bread - just make sure that you do not get a flavored kind... "pink lemonade rice bread" just does not sound appealing! However, if you can find it bulk, it will be less expensive.

Just google "Metamucil" or "Psyllium Husks" to get more information.

Our Favorite Rice Bread Recipe

2009-07-23T14:26:00.000-06:00

After becoming dissatisfied with the bread recipe that we were using, my daughter, Millie, and I started experimenting with a new recipe. Millie really does most of the baking around here and her bread is consistently delicious. She has perfected recognizing the right consistency (neither too stiff or too runny). You will develop a knack for it as well. If the batter is too thick, the bread will not rise well and will be very heavy when baked (brick-like :). If the batter is too runny, it will overflow and fall in the oven and the bread will be very course and crumbly. Be patient with the bread and yourself! Once you get onto things, you will be taking delicious smelling, looking and tasting loaves from your oven... and you will hardly believe that piece of fresh bread is gluten free!

One of the keys to good texture is the psyllium husks. They are available at most health food stores. If you mix them with water, they make kind of a slimy liquid that you can drink to get great fiber that is very gentle on your bowel.

To mix this batter, I use my large Kitchen Aid mixer with the cookie paddle. Probably a hand mixer could do it, but any upright mixer would be best. Of course, you could use a wooden spoon, and I have done it like this... it is great exercise!

I find that this bread keeps good for about 3 days. It can be toasted, or warmed in the microwave after the first day to freshen it. I have adjusted the recipe to make 2 loaves. Here at home, with 9 people eating gluten free, we make a four loaf batch every other day.

RICE BREAD

2 cups tapioca starch

1 1/2 cups potato starch

3 cups brown rice flour

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast (instant or not)

1/4 cup sugar or honey

2 Tbsp psyllium husks

4 eggs

3 cups hot water

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

METHOD:

-Combine the starches and flour, yeast, sugar and psyllium husks in the bowl of your mixer and mix until well blended.

-Add the eggs and hot water and blend. Beat on medium speed for about 5 min.

-Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 10 min.

-Beat down and add the oil and salt. Beat on medium for about another 2-3 min. The dough should be a bit thicker than muffin batter.

-Grease 2 loaf pans and divide the dough between them. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with a little warm water and smooth the dough with a spatula.

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set the loaves on top of the stove to rise - about another 10 min. The dough should be just above the tops of the pans. If you let is rise too much, it will run over the edge of the pans in the oven and make a BIG, smokey mess! To avoid this, place the pans on a cookie sheet to bake.

-Put the loaves in the oven and bake for 30 min. Remove from pans and place loaves on their sides on cooling racks. Do not try to slice until the loaves are cool to the touch. This fresh bread is a favorite for our lunches! Enjoy!

VARIATIONS: Substitute 1 cups of rice flour for 1 cup of sorghum flour, or buckwheat, or teff, or millet... maybe a combo of some of these. The sorghum flour is a bit expensive, but it really gives a nice texture.

Mocha Naniamo Bars

2009-07-22T15:30:00.001-06:00

These squares are truly an indulgence. They are also my husband's favorite. :) If the Graham Cracker crumbs are already on hand, they are actually quite easy and quick to make.

MOCHA NANIAMO BARS

Crust: Melt 2 squares of semi sweet chocolate and set aside. Cream 1/2 cup of softened butter or margarine, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 egg. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Now stir in 2 cups GF graham cracker crumbs, and 1 cup unsweetened coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Press into a 9" square pan. Chill. (Since we like these bitter-sweet, I use 1 square unsweetened chocolate and 1 square semi-sweet. I also omit the sugar. The walnuts are optional - just increase the coconut by the same measurement.)

Filling: Whisk 1-2 Tbsp of instant coffee with 1/4 cup milk or milk substitute. When dissolved, add 2 Tbsp of custard powder. Cream 1/4 cup butter or margarine and add the coffee mixture to it. Beat in 2 cups of icing sugar until smooth. This should be like a thick, creamy icing. Spread over base and chill about 15 min.

Glaze: Melt 4 squares or semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tbsp of butter or margarine. Add a little warm milk or milk substitute if it seems too thick to spread. Spread over the filling layer and chill until just firm. Cut into squares (makes 25) and finish chilling. (Again, to make this less sweet, I use 1/2 unsweetened chocolate for the glaze.)

You can change the flavor of these squares by adding whatever flavor you like to the filling instead of the coffee. Mint is nice. You can also leave out the coffee and just add a little vanilla.

GF Graham Cracker Crumbs

2009-07-22T15:02:00.002-06:00

I am including this recipe to go with the last post (Danish Apple Cake) and to go with the next post (Naniamo Bars). But really, these can stand on their own. We have made them into crackers just for snacking - they are very popular with the little ones. We also use the crumbs for pie crusts and sprinkling on ice cream (although I have another favorite for that which I will post later).

You can buy GF crumbs, but they are very expensive. These are quick and easy and taste great. I like to keep some on hand in the freezer for making easy deserts! Enjoy!

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour (white will work fine)

1 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

METHOD:

Cream the margarine, sugar and vanilla together. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mixture. Blend well. Your mix will now look like course crumbs.

For crumbs: spread the crumb mixture out on a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with sides. Just loosely spread them, do not pack them. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring once after 7 min. Let cool and break up any chunks. Use for dessert recipes or store in the freezer.

For crackers: add about 1/4 cup cold water to the crumb mixture and mix in till blended. Spread the crumbs onto 1 large or 2 small baking sheets with sides. Get out your rolling pin and roll the crumbs to pack them very firmly. Try to make the mixture all the same thickness and pack it well. Score the crackers with a knife. I usually just cut rectangle shapes. Bake the crackers at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Watch that they do not get too dark on the bottom - you may have to bake them in the top 1/4 of the oven. They should be lightly browned. Let them cool and harden and then break them apart and store in a tight container. These work great for GF S'mores. You can melt chocolate and spread it on each cracker first and then just roast marshmallows over the fire to squish in between two chocolate covered crackers :) :) Or they are just great plain as snacks for the kids.

Danish Apple Cake

2009-07-22T14:40:00.000-06:00

Wow, I am finally back! The lengthy interruption in posting more recipes has been caused by an acute case of morning sickness :) But I am getting back to normal and am once again able to look at a recipe without gagging! YEA!

You may have noticed that I had offered a gluten free cook book for free to the first person who e-mailed me a new gluten free recipe. That sweet person was Carol: she sent in this recipe for Danish Apple Cake which our family looks forward to trying during this hot weather! Note: all the notes in italics are from me, Jenny :)

DANISH APPLE CAKE

2 cups dried crumbs (crushed GF cornflakes or GF graham cracker crumbs)

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 to 1/2 cup butter (could sub margarine to keep it dairy free)

2 1/2 cups tart apple sauce (crab apple sauce would be good, I think)

1 cup whipping cream (or substitute)

2 Tbsp. sugar

Red jelly or jam for decoration.

METHOD:

Brown crumbs in a skillet with the 1 Tbsp sugar and the butter. Arrange the crumb mixture and applesauce in alternate layers in a glass serving dish. Chill in refrigerator. Whip the cream with the 2 Tbsp sugar for the topping and decorate with dabs of jelly on top. (Try swirling the jelly a bit :)

For a crunchy texture, serve immediately after preparation. Advanced preparation will create a moist blend of layers. This cake looks elegant served in a crystal 1 1/2 or 2 quart bowl.

You can adjust this recipe to suit your family needs, increasing and decreasing ingredients as you like. Carol usually doubles this for her family of seven.

Yellow Cake

2009-06-25T20:13:00.000-06:00

This cake is a recipe that I converted to gluten free from a commercial cook book. It was a tried and true recipe that I had great hopes for... and I was not disappointed. When I follow the recipe carefully, it almost always turns out. The room temperature of ingredients is important. It rises nicely, has a tender crumb, and is moist. We often use it for birthdays and special occasions.

1 1/2 cups white or brown rice flour (I usually use brown because that is what I have on hand)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup potato starch

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp xanthan gum

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cooking oil (I actually use olive oil - and find it leaves no olive-taste)

1/4 cup milk or substitute, room temperature (often I just use water)

5 eggs, room temperature

3 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk or substitute, room temperature (again, water will work fine)

METHOD:

Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Add the oil and mix in till well distributed.

Add the first amount of milk and mix for 1 minute.

Combine the eggs, vanilla and second amount of milk and slowly add to the flour mixture.

Beat for 2 min. Scrape the bowl and beat for another 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently touched in the centre, or a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

If you are making cupcakes, this makes 22-24.

Blender Pancakes

2009-06-23T20:27:00.000-06:00

For this recipe, you do not need any ground flour! You first soak the whole grains to soften them, and then puree them in the blender. If you savvy the taste of sourdough pancakes, soak the grains for about 3 days. It will start to bubble and smell like sour starter.

1 cup whole brown rice

1/2 cup buckwheat groats

1/2 cup whole millet

2 1/2 cups pure water (no chlorine)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

2 tbsp honey or sugar

1 cup tapioca starch

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp baking powder

METHOD: In a large jar or bowl, combine the grains, water and lemon juice. Cover with a towel and let soak overnight or up to 5 days (tastes quite sour).

Pour soaked grains and liquid into the blender. Puree until smooth. If you have a large blender (like a Vita-Mix) you can do the next step in the blender. If not, pour the puree into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Whisk until smooth.

Drop batter onto hot, greased fry pan (cast iron works the best because of the even heating). These pancakes will cook at a slightly lower temperature, for slightly longer time than regular pancakes.

Fresh or frozen berries are a wonderful addition to these pancakes. My personal favorite is making these pancakes without berries but serving them with whipped cream and a thickened berry sauce. I make it from fresh or frozen berries and I can sweeten with natural cane sugar or real maple syrup for a much healthier (and tastier) topping than commercial syrups.

Batter For Deep Fried Chicken Strips

2009-06-23T19:09:00.000-06:00

For this I either use cut up chicken breast or brown meat cut off the bone. The pieces must not be too thick. Rice flour burns faster than wheat and if the pieces are too thick, the coating will burn before the chicken cooks through.

Traditionally, this is what the kids ask for on their birthdays.

This coats about 3 lbs of chicken cubes or strips.

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp sesame seeds (optional, but very good)

1 1/2 tsp salt or seasoning salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or bouillon

2 green onions, chopped fine (optional)

Oil for frying

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Whisk the eggs, oil & soy sauce.

3. Add the eggs to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in onion.

4. Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using. This allows the flour to absorb moisture.

5. Heat oil to 375 degrees.

6. Dip several pieces of chicken in the batter at a time and stir to coat. Remove pieces with a fork and drop into hot oil (if the batter is too thick to work with, add a little bit of water). Fry about 10 pieces at a time, turning when they are brown. I usually cut open a few of the first pieces to make sure that there is no pink left and the juices are clear.

7. When I remove the cooked pieces, I put them on a baking sheet, lined with paper towel and keep them hot in a low oven.

We make a Pineapple Dipping Sauce for this chicken.

1. Puree one can of pineapple with juice in the blender.

2. Heat the puree in a sauce pan and add 2 Tbsp vinegar, sugar to taste (does not need much), and a bit of corn starch to thicken.

3. Cool and serve.

Gluten Free Oats!!!

2009-06-23T10:41:00.000-06:00

Did you know that there was such a thing as gluten free oats? Well, I didn't until today.

Here is a link.

Cook Book Give-Away

2009-06-22T21:00:00.000-06:00

A friend, Amy, gave me a copy of this book as a gift a couple of years ago. I have enjoyed trying many recipes from it. My dear MIL found this like-new copy at a thrift store and picked it up for me, but since I already have it, I am offering to send it to the first person who e-mails me a new gluten free recipe to post!

I will qualify: Bette uses non-dairy liquids/powders in some of the recipes. If you do not eat these, or if you think like me - that non-dairy stuff is a non-food - you will have to substitute other things (like coconut milk).

So, if you have any kind of GF recipe to share... my e-mail address is on the margin of this page. I look forward to hearing from you... and sending you this lovely book!

NOTE (June 26, 2008)

I have recieve a great recipe from Carol and will be posting it shortly. I will be sending the cookbook to her. Thanks, Carol!

Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Biscuits

2009-06-15T09:26:00.000-06:00

This recipe was sent to me by my friend, Carol. She asked me if I had a good biscuit recipe. I had to reply that I did not - mine efforts have turned out biscuits that were a cross between lead and glue.

Within a few days, she e-mailed me this recipe that she had found. I tried it and they are the nicest Gluten Free biscuits that I have ever made. OK, maybe that is not saying much, but they really did turn out nice! They were rather ugly, but they were not crumbly, they were moist and light, AND they tasted good!

The original recipe was very easy to follow, I just had to make a few changes to go with the ingredients that I had on hand. This is my altered recipe:

LIGHT & FLUFFY GLUTEN FREE BISCUITS

(Yield: 16 large biscuits)

1 1/2 c. brown rice flour

2 c. corn starch (yes, it is OK to use this much starch!)

1/2 c. millet or buckwheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 cup of lard (or butter if you can have it), cubed

2 cups water

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum.

3. Cut the lard or butter into the dry ingredients until it is crumbly.

4. Add the water, vinegar and beaten egg to the flour and stir until the dry and liquid ingredients are combined.

5. Using a large spoon, drop the dough onto a greased pan to make 16 biscuits (or make 24 smaller ones). Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe was lots for our family of 9.

Enjoy!

Just Starting

2009-06-11T11:58:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog for gluten, dairy, soy and nut free recipes.

Over the next few weeks, I will be adding new recipes and moving recipes from my other blog (which is now private and mostly family stuff). Also, I will be adding recipes that were printed in my newsletter, "The Gluten Free Gathering".

Hope you enjoy.

Jenny

The Gluten Free Gathering

Roll-Out Buckwheat Biscuits

"FREEDOM" BREAD (Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free)

Egg Free Adjustment

2 Minute Mexi-Vinaigrette Dressing

The Bestest, Crunchiest, Yummiest Oven Fries

Carrot Cake

"Make-It-All-Better" Dairy Free Frappuccino

Dairy Free - Soy Free Fruit Smoothie

Breadless Breakfast

Eggless Cooking

Grecian Pizza

Flax Egg Replacer

Gluten Free Flax Seed Bread - Xanthan/Guar Gum Free

Xanthan Gum Revealed

Blender Pancakes - Again

Beanie Weinie Scallopini

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake (*Corrected Version*)

Cow Pie Cookies

Crispy Fish Cakes

Hello Again

A "Secret Ingredient"

Sweet Potato or Squash Bake

Gluten Free Stuffing (Dressing)

Melting Moments

*These cookies are egg free* I will be posting some pictures as soon as I have mine baked. :)

Christmas Baking Is Coming Up!!!

Egg Free Apple Sauce Muffins

Devilish Dessert

Waffles

I Finally Tried This Recipe... "Spring Rolls"

Cinnamon Roll Bread

Potato Bread

I'll Be Back...

The Quintessential Gingersnap Cookie

The Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie

Iced Lemon Cake

Cinnamon Buns

Artisan Herb Bread

Betty's Corn Bread or Muffins

New Gluten Free Site

Chicken Pot Pie

Quick Rice Wraps

Affordable Rice Pasta

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Baked Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Oreo-Type Cookies

Perfect Pie Crust (Well... Almost Perfect!)

Rhubarb Pie With a Twist

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings... or Meatballs!

Hamberger "Bun" Solution

Psyllium Husk Information

Our Favorite Rice Bread Recipe

Mocha Naniamo Bars

GF Graham Cracker Crumbs

Danish Apple Cake

Yellow Cake

Blender Pancakes

Batter For Deep Fried Chicken Strips

Gluten Free Oats!!!

Cook Book Give-Away

Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Biscuits

Just Starting

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake (Corrected Version)

These cookies are egg free I will be posting some pictures as soon as I have mine baked. :)