Do I call it Living with Sugar? This is the first day I have felt truly well in 3 weeks. I won't go into the icky details but it's a side effect my gluten intolerance. For the last week I've been off sugar completely. Those of you who know me may have gasped at that last line. I can't believe it myself. I actually went an entire week without sugar, fruit and all starches. I really should lower my future sugar intake too but not today. Today I want to try a chocolate cake recipe that is crazy simple. Those of you who don't like processed foods of any kind are excused now. Those of you who occasionally indulge keep reading.
I could call it Living with Substitutions. This recipe is inspired by Lori. Lori is a sweet bubbly co-worker who has been making this lighter version of your standard cake mix for co-workers. The recipe is simply your favorite cake mix and a can of diet soda. The ones she's been bringing to work are chocolate with diet cola.
The third possibility is Living with Calculations. You see the cake mix I had on hand was Pamela's chocolate gluten free cake mix. The standard cake mix off the grocery shelf contains 18.5oz of ingredients. Pamela's cake mix is 21oz. A can of soda is 12 oz. So how much soda do I add for the larger cake mix? I could say that I calculated it out on my own but I'd be lying. I am capable, with time of figuring this out but I have an incredibly intelligent father-in-law who was about 5 feet away. He is also, after my husband, the sweetest man on earth. He loves helping so I simply asked him. He happily showed me the formula for the conversion and calculated it out for me. Below are the results. Of course this left me with 10 oz of diet cola which I am now enjoying as a side treat.
Diet Soda Cake
Mine: 1 21oz pkg Pamela's chocolate cake mix & 14 oz (this was rounded from 13.62oz) of diet cola
Mix and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
I couldn't wait for it to cool and am eating a piece warm. It really doesn't need frosting or the whipped topping.
Yours: 1 pkg of your favorite cake mix and 1 or more diet soda. I've heard vanilla and cream soda are good together. Lori provides light Cool Whip with her cake but I'm not a fan of whipped toppings unless they're real cream and sugar. That would kind of defeat the diet soda addition.
As you see, I've decided to just call it what it is...Diet Soda Cake
News Flash! I can be a little competitive. Okay, so I'll do just about anything to win! This said, when it was announced at work that the next Iron Chef competition was to be Gluten-free, well, I just had to win! How humiliating would it be if the one person considered the go to semi-expert of gluten-free were to lose the gluten-free competition! I decided that something sweet and chocolaty was the way to go. I determined to make my gluten-free chocolate beer cake. It's intriguing, delicious and looks great for presentation when baked in a bundt pan. Only one problem...the night before the competition I discovered we're out of cocoa...ah oh!!!
Plan B: I had bought cremini mushrooms thinking that I might be the classic overachiever and make two entries. Good thing! Stuffed mushrooms was actually my second choice for entering the competition so imagine my surprise when they came out the winner...hurrah for being the ever blonde scatter brain who forgot to buy cocoa! The recipe is posted below and as a bonus, I'm posting 2nd place. Andrea's Caramel Brownies are AMAZING!!!
No one could wait for me to get the camera!
Mushroom Sausage Poppers
-20 cremini mushroom caps, cleaned and stems removed (or 4-6 portabellas*)
-1/2 cup Italian sausage
-1/2 cup Italian sausage (hot or sweet), casing removed (can be made vegetarian with Trader Joe's Soyrizo) for a store near youhttp://www.traderjoes.com/
-1/2 cup sweet yellow onions, finely chopped
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (a slice or two of gluten-free bread chopped in a food processor)
-2 tablespoons chopped parsley
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
-1/3 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
-1/2 cup shredded Manchego cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set aside a non-stick baking sheet (I like using mini muffin pans to keep mushrooms upright)
Brush the cleaned mushroom caps lightly with olive oil. Place the mushrooms on the baking sheet "stem-side" facing up.
Heat a small, nonstick pan to medium-high and cook the chopped sausage about 3-5 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and place in a medium sized bowl, set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same non-stick pan. Heat to medium and cook chopped onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, do not brown. Remove from heat and add to bowl of sausage.
Add the gluten-free breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and chicken stock to the sausage mixture. Stir with a fork to combine. Add the cheese and lightly toss.
Use a teaspoon to fill the mushrooms. Shape the tops into rounded mounds. Use your hands to pack lightly. Cook the mushrooms for 20-25 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are browned. remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before serving warm. The mushrooms can also be served at room temperature.
*This can be served as a main course by substituting portabellas for cremini mushrooms.
Caramel Brownies (Gluten-free of course)
1 bag (14 oz.) caramels (make sure they are gluten-free)
1 can (5oz.) evaporated milk or 2/3 c. divided
1 devil's food chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker's gluten-free devil's food cake mix was used for the competition.
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 pkg. (6oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unwrap caramels and place in saucepan with 2 tablespoons evaporated milk. Set aside.
In mixing bowl, combine the remaining evaporated milk, dry cake mix and melted butter. Stir until well blended. Spread half of this mixture in a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Mixture will form a thin layer in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes only.
Melt the caramels over medium-low heat; stir constantly. Be careful not to burn. Remove brownies from oven ;sprinkle with chocolate chips and drizzle melted caramel over the top. Cover evenly.
Drop remaining cake mixture by teaspoons over the caramel. Return pan to oven and bake 20 minutes more. Cut while warm but cool before removing from pan.
I have heard it said that baking is like chemistry. Well chemistry always brings back memories of beakers and test tubes but only a slight recall of density factors. I also still hold a fondness for Mr. York, a very caring teacher who tutored me through elemental charts and other sciency things. Then of course who could forget my lab mates, Craig, Barbi and LeAnn. Ours corner of lab was always the loudest with all of us laughing about one mishap or another.
So what does all this mean to baking? In chemistry lab had we added a little too much this or a little to less of that, we could have had a mishap or two. Oh we did! Well, not big ones but I remember a few things bubbling over that shouldn't have. What I'm trying to say is in baking as in Mr. York's chemistry class, measurements need to be precise. I'm not sure it was Mr. York or someone else along the way but I never had issues with measuring properly but then came living with gluten free flours. The density of flours differs from one variety to another and when it comes to baking it is density that is more a factor than weight. This may not sound technical but remember, I had to be tutored through chemistry class. So now, I tutor you! Hopefully in language that makes sense.
When I take on a recipe that I want to convert I have come up with a very simple chart of reference. You will need a weight scale. I took mine and weighed all-purpose wheat flour in different measurements. When a recipe calls for a cup of flour, I look at my chart and know that a cup of wheat flour weighed 5 1/4 oz. It is simply then a matter of weighing 5 1/4 oz of which ever gluten-free flour blend that I choose.
I had a lot of time today so I have converted two recipes. The first is a cookie that I used to bake a lot. I LOVE these cookies. The original recipe I found on the underside of the round lid from a box of Quaker oats. I buy oats that are gluten free now and have long ago lost the recipe. If anyone has a box, I'd love the recipe. I used to take the shortening part of that recipe out and put in double that amount of applesauce. The recipe I used today is one my mother-in-law had and is from a Sun-Maid raisin recipe booklet. I converted it to the following and they are yummy!
Cowboy Cookies (I've also called these Everything Cookies since they have everything but the kitchen sink in them.
1/2 cup butter
1 cup applesauce **
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 1/4 oz (weighted not measured) all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Pamela's for this recipe)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups gluten-free oats
1 cup raisins ***
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter, sugars, applesauce, milk, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture; mix well.
Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. I cover mine with parchment paper. ****
Bake 12-18 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely.
**I keep unsweetened applesauce snack packs on hand for this. If I buy a jar I never know what to do with the remainder of the applesauce. Our household is not big on just eating applesauce. In this recipe I used two packs.
***My son asked me to use dried cranberries this time. I have also used dried dates chopped. Any dried fruit you have on hand should work.
****I use a cookie scoop and love the results.
This next recipe came about because my mother-in-law baked a loaf to serve this weekend. It looked so good I wanted to try it. I followed her recipe to the letter only substituting gluten-free flour by weight in place of wheat flour.
Harvest Loaf
9 1/4 oz. (by weight not measurement) gluten-free flour blend. (I used Arnel's this time)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/4 teaspoon ginger*
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Grease the bottom of a loaf pan. (I used an 8x4 inch pan) Combine flour, soda, salt and spices and set aside. Cream butter and gradually add sugar; cream well. Blend in eggs and mix well. On low speed add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Turn into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before removing from pan. Allow to cool several hours before slicing.
Optional topping (we've never used it)
Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. Blend in 1/2 tablespoons of cream until the consistency of a glaze. Pour over loaf.
*If desired you can substitute 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the spices. I wanted to follow the recipe as written first time through so I used all the spices separately.
Conversion Chart
1/4 cup = 1 3/8 oz.
1/3 cup = 1 5/8 oz.
1/2 cup = 2 5/8oz.
2/3 cup = 3 1/4 oz.
3/4 cup = 4 oz.
1 cup = 5 1/4 oz.
To make this chart I weighed all purpose wheat flour on an electronic kitchen scale. This is not an exact science (see science class paragraph above) but has worked so far.
There are times I get an idea for a recipe and spend weeks thinking about it, shopping for it and testing and re-resting it. That's not the case with this one. This recipe was a total fluke and you'll love it.
My parents are vegetarians and were coming to visit recently. Time to pull out the vegetarian recipes. My mother-in-law was going to do the grocery shopping (she usually does and I'm totally spoiled). I told her I was going to make Macaroni and Cheese. I was meaning the recipe I posted several months ago. It's a great "go to" recipe for kids, vegetarians or just cheese lovers. I sat the box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta (my favorite pasta) out on the counter. When I got home my wonderful mother-in-law had purchased all the ingredients for the Mexaroni and Cheese recipe that was printed on the pasta box. Amused, I read the recipe and it looked worthy of trying...YUM!!! You'll love it!
Mexaroni and Cheese
1 Pkg. Super grain gluten-free Pasta (Great Harvest Quinoa) 1/2 cup Sour cream
1 cup Milk
1 Tbs. Cornstarch
4 oz Green chilies, chopped
9 oz. Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 Tbs. Butter
1/4 cup Pitted black olives, sliced (I used kalamata olives)
Salt to taste
1 Small jar Pimentos crushed
Corn Flakes (I used Corn Chex because I couldn't find gluten-free corn flakes at my local market)
Cook Pasta in lightly salted boiling water for 4-6 minutes or until just done. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and milk. Add cornstarch mixture to butter and cook until thickened, stirring consistently. Add cheddar cheese to sauce and cook slowly until melted, again stirring constantly. Add sour cream, green chilies, olives, pimentos and salt to taste.
Combine sauce with pasta and put into a casserole dish. Cover top with crushed corn cereal. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
The box said it serves 4 but there were 6 of us and we had a little left over. Served with a salad and a green vegetable, it was a completely delicious and satisfying gluten-free, vegetarian meal.
Just for fun, you might enjoy the web site I found for Ancient Harvest Quinoa. There are several recipes I've just gotta try! http://www.quinoa.net/106.html
Steve and I enjoyed one of our favorite past times yesterday. We savored a selection of wines at our local BevMo store. I mentioned to Zack, our favorite Sommelier, that I was toying with making another gluten free beer recipe. When I told him it was a chocolate cake he suggested I use Green's Dubbel Dark Ale. This is a Belgium beer made with Millet, Buckwheat, Rice, Sorghum, Hops and Yeast. I've promised Zack I will bring him some cake if it turns out so I have to write quickly and get back to BevMo.
The cake takes only one cup of beer which leaves quite a bit of beer in the bottle. I'd tell you how it tastes but as I've mentioned before, I really don't like the taste of beer! But never fear, between Steve, my husband and his father the beer did not go to waste.
The recipe comes from one of my favorite online gluten free sites http://www.livingwithout.com/ This is their cover recipe this month. I made a few small variations which I will share with you.
Beer Chocolate Cake
¾ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup gluten-free ale or beer (I used Green's Dubbel Dark Ale)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated cane sugar
2 cups gluten free all purpose flour blend (I used Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix but be careful this one has nuts in it. If I make it for a nut free environment I'll use another brand)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (if your flour doesn't include xanthan gum)
1 tablespoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch spring-form tube or bundt pan and dust lightly with gluten-free starch. (This is the only time I use a spray on oil so I can get in the grooves of my bundt pan quickly and evenly. I also think this would make a great sheet cake if you don't' want the hassle of a bundt pan.)
In a small bowl, whisk sour cream with eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
Measure out 1 cup ale. Let the head (the bubbles on top) settle to be sure your measurement is correct. Pour ale into a large saucepan. Add butter and heat over medium heat just until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar until smooth. (This takes almost no time at all so be aware.)
Add egg mixture to the saucepan mixture and whisk. Add flour blend, xanthan gum and baking soda and stir well to combine. (again work quickly)
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out fairly clean. (Put a cookie sheet or layer of foil under your cake in case it bubbles over the top like mine did)
Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Then invert cake to remove from pan onto a cake plate. Frost/glaze when cake is completely cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar (I really need a new sifter for this part!)
Up to 1/2 cup heavy cream (I didn't use any of the cream and it was a great consistency for frosting. If you want more of a glaze try a little cream.
Whip cream cheese and sugar until smooth.Slowly stir in only enough cream to make frosting a spreadable consistency.
Now, I'm off to BevMo with my cake...hope they like it...
Did I tell you I LOVE chocolate? I know, only every other post! So when I told you about Good Habit's cookies recently, it got me to thinking. Their cookies are named after familiar desserts like Carrot Cake and Apple Pie Ala mode. Since my favorite cake growing up was German Chocolate, I decided I wanted to try and recreate a similar taste treat in a cookie. I love the gooey coconut and pecan topping!
Now if I had all the time in the world to spend in the kitchen, I would probably start a recipe such as this by blending various gluten free flours together. I am not that person! I work. If you, like me, love to cook but don't have all day to spend making one batch of cookies, you will love this recipe.
German Chocolate Cookie
1 pkg Gluten-Free Brownie Mix (I used King Arthur Flour)
2 cups toasted coconut
2 cups pecans toasted and then chopped
2 eggs
8 Tablespoons butter
1-2 Tablespoons milk
Mix butter and eggs together with an electric mixer. Stop mixer and add brownie mix. Turn mixer on low till the mix starts to incorporate into the butter and eggs and then turn up to medium. Mix only till fully incorporated. Add coconut and pecans 1 cup at a time, blending slightly after each addition.
Lay two pieces of plastic wrap out on your counter. Place half of the batter on each sheet. Wrap the two sections in the plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes if baking today. Freeze completely if you want to bake them another day.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Cut the batter with a sharp knife into even squares. You can round the pieces slightly by rolling them in your hands before placing them on the parchment paper if you like. I only did this with the pieces that were more rectangle than square.
Place in 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the size you cut your squares. You want to bake the cookies till they just begin to loose their shine. Cool before removing from the parchment. They peal off nicely when cooled completely.
TIPS
Toasting Coconut: place coconut on a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 4 minutes. Watch it because it will burn quickly.
Toasting Pecans: My mother-in-law taught me to toast pecans by placing them on a paper towel and microwaving them. I microwaved the nuts for this cookie 3 minutes, stirred them and then microwaved them in increments of 1 minute three more times for a total of 6 minutes.
Freeze: Freezing cookie dough is easy and brilliant! Place the wrapped cookie dough in a freezer bag. Mark the outside of the bag with the name of the cookie and it's cooking instructions. My Mother-in-law pointed out that they're great when someone calls and says I'm going to be there in 30 minutes. Simply turn your oven on, cut off a few cookies and bake. You will have warm yummy cookies when your guests arrive and the house smells great!
Did I tell you that I have southern roots? My family roots go back to Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. One thing southern people like is their biscuits! I remember my mothers biscuit bowl. A good southern woman will have a large bowl just for biscuits. This bowl always has flour in it. A good southern woman will curl her hand into a fist and make a little well in the middle of the flour. Into this well she will add her shortening, lard or butter. If she has any self respect the next thing she will add is buttermilk. My mother, the good southern woman that she is, would then pinch off just the right amount of dough and roll it in her hands as she curled under the edges making a perfectly round little bit of biscuit dough. If you can't picture that don't worry, I've spent 50 some years trying to figure out how she does that and I've come up with my own version. Mom bakes her biscuits in a cast iron skillet and this is a tradition I faithfully and/or stubbornly stick to. Mom also uses a cast iron skillet to make her gravy. You can use any skillet you have on hand but I swear it will taste better in cast iron and any good southern woman will have at least two. Thanks to my loving husband who loves to collect old kitchen ware we have at least 6 or 7 cast iron skillets of varying sizes. Some day I'll get them all in one place and show you a picture of them.
Back to the southern roots. I woke up this morning with a hankerin for biscuits. If you are from the south you know what this is. If your not it's an incredible craving for something you just have to have. Since I've been wanting to try gluten free gravy I decided to do both.
Biscuits
2 cups Gluten Free flour blend + a little for your board (I used Pamela's)
8 oz. cold butter cut in about 8 pieces
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If you're a transplanted southern woman like I am you will next plug in the food processor. Place the flour in the tub of the processor with the cold butter. Pulse till you have pea size flour/butter bits. With the processor running pour the buttermilk through the feed tube. Process just till blended. Use your flour blend to flour a cutting board. Scrape the dough onto the flour. Kneed gently just till it will hold together well. Do NOT over kneed or you will have heavy biscuits. It is at this point that I gather the dough into a round and flatten slightly. With a sharp knife I cut the dough into 8 equal wedges. You could places these wedges in your greased cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet but I don't. In an attempt to still be a respectable southern woman who can still look herself in the mirror after baking her biscuits, I take each wedge and roll it slightly in my hand with a little flour till I get an a round that resembles my mother's biscuits somewhat. I then place my rounds in said greased cast iron skillet. I have my respect still in tact as I place the pan in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
Tomato Gravy
4 oz. butter
4 - 6 T Gluten Free flour blend (again with the Pamela's)
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes (drain and keep liquid)
1 cup milk
Over medium heat melt your butter in a cast iron skillet or seriously in anything you have that will heat butter. Sprinkle the flour blend, salt and pepper over your melted butter and let brown for a minute or two being careful not to burn. Pour the juice from the tomatoes over the butter and whisk quickly. Pour in the milk as you continue to whisk. Add the tomatoes and continue stirring till mixture is slightly thickened. Serve over buttered biscuits if you want them Southern style.
I LOVE cookies! Not just a little I love cookies!!! Few things are as heart warming to me as a plate full of fresh cookies. For the past few years however most of these plates of cookies have been off limits to me. I'm not complaining. I have managed to successfully alter a few recipes and found the time to bake occasionally. When I do I pop most of the cookies in the freezer so I usually have something on hand to munch when the cookie monster in me strikes. But what I like most, even though I love to bake, is when someone else makes me a batch of cookies. I have found that someone!
I work with children for those of you just checking in. Most of the parents know that I live gluten-free. A few weeks ago M's mom brought me a cookie. She said M saw it and wanted me to have it. Now M is only 1 year old so you see Me is a very bright and thoughtful little person. The cookie was called Apple Pie a la Mode by Good Habit and I couldn't wait to take a bite. Oh my!!! I don't care if you're gluten-free or not, you've gotta try this cookie! It was so amazing that I carried the wrapper around in my purse for the next few weeks. I finally looked the company up online and low and behold they are in Ventura County! And even if you're not, they will ship.
I had to find this place! I vowed to devote a lunch hour this last week to finding more of these cookies. Well, Friday came and I still hadn't gone in search of my cookies and it was raining. No, it was pouring! And I had left my umbrella in the car. I don't care, I've gotta get one of those cookies! I borrowed an umbrella and made my way through puddles and sheets of rain to my car. The good news is there were few cars on the road. Southern Californians are wimpy about rain. I managed to find Good Habit at 1625 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. in the fine city of Thousand Oaks, CA. I bought more Apple Pie a la Mode cookies as well as Original Chocolate Chip, Carrot Cake Cookie and Oatmeal Raisin. They also have a Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cookie but I'm not a big fan of chocolate in my peanut butter...sorry Reese's.
I ate a Chocolate Chip cookie on the way back to work and just finished the Carrot Cake Cookie. So far the Apple Pie a la Mode is still my favorite. If you're not wanting a cookie by now, check your pulse! These are amazingly good cookies!
Yet another friend e-mailed me this week for the link to my blog. Her father's girlfriend's grandson was just diagnosed with Celiac. This is the very reason I began writing this blog. It is my hope that I can show people who are living without gluten that it is yummy and easy. You don't have to spend a fortune if (unless you want to). Heck, a potato is gluten free! It's not that hard but it can be overwhelming at first.
If you have come to this site for a specific recipe and can't find it, tell me what it is and I'll try and help you find it. If you have a question about living gluten-free e-mail it to me and I'll do my best to answer it. That's what I'm here for. In the mean time this week's I've posted links to sites that have helped me along the way with a brief description of why they're included. Happy eating...
My favorite breads: http://www.arnelsoriginals.com/ Arnel's is my favorite but you need to bake it yourself unless you live in or near Ojai, CA where Arnel is often found selling her bread at the Farmer's Market on Sunday. http://www.greatharvest.com/ A very close second to Arnel's is Great Harvest. Not all of them make a gluten-free bread so call them and ask. http://www.rudisglutenfree.com/ A very good option found in the freezer section. I like their multi-grain.
I enjoy preparing gluten-free recipes and food and bringing them to you each weekend. Today is one of my favorite. I brought out one of my first gluten-free recipes because my mind has been on other things and if you will indulge me I will share them with you.
Part of this weekend was spent at a bridal shop with my beautiful daughter Samantha. Treating her like the beautiful princess she is the bridal stylist helped her into one romantic white gown after another. All the while I sat there with thoughts racing. First was the day she was born and I relayed to her fiance's mother how her father adored her from the moment she was placed in his arms. When she told me who her four brides maids were to be my mind went back to the day she met each of them, all before she was four years old. I couldn't be prouder of the woman my daughter has become! Sam wants her stunning dress to remain a surprise to as many people as possible so I will honor her request by not post pictures till after she weds her love in December.
If there is a segway from that to my next recipe I can't find it. So here goes...
When I first found I needed to cut gluten from my life it was breakfast that was the most difficult. My mornings start early and they begin full speed. Breakfast needs to be fast and I mean real fast. One of my favorite is a bowl of plain yogurt with blueberries and granola. Only trouble was I couldn't find a gluten-free granola that tasted good and didn't have something in it that I didn't care for. I don't want raisins or sunflower seeds. And whoever heard of sesame seeds in granola...yuck! Why was this so hard? Bob's Red Mill makes perfectly wonderful gluten-free oats so why can't somebody make granola with it. They can...you can...here's how...
Granola
Ingredients:
3 cups gluten-free oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
2 cups nuts (you can use any combination you enjoy but I like sliced almonds)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons liquid sweetener (I use maple syrup but honey or agave syrup are also good)
1/4 cup coconut oil (measure melted)
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine liquid sweetener, coconut oil and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour into a large pan or two smaller ones. It should be a shallow layer and you will want to be able to stir it. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve even cooking.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. If you like raisins or other dried fruit you can add it now but you won't catch me doing that.
*have you ever had to cook something in increments and find you can't remember how many times you've stirred. I place a piece of paper beside the oven and write five 15's on it. When I put the pan in the oven I circle the first 15. This tells me that I am in this 15 minute segment. When I stir the mixture and place it back in the oven I put an X mark through the first 15 and circle the next one and so forth.
From the beginning my intent with this blog has been to show how easy it is to prepare gluten free foods for yourself or your loved ones. To show how easy this is to do I recently facilitated a Gluten-free Cupcake Wars with my co-workers. Cupcakes are fun and small enough to not be a big commitment. Over half of the entries were from bakers who don't usually eliminate gluten from their treats.
The criteria was simple. Each participant was to bake cupcakes. The cupcakes were to be completely gluten free. Since the judging took place on March 16, just one day before St. Patrick's Day, the contestants were to display 3 of their cupcakes with green. The green could be in or around the cupcakes. The judges gave each cupcake a point value based on taste, appearance and theme.
To inspire the contestants I brought two of my gluten-free cookbooks and several gluten-free cake mixes to work. Contestants could use any flavor cake mix base or start from scratch to create their own cupcake twist.
The three top cupcakes were baked by Andrea R., Maggie W. and Robin F. (moi). I would love to give you the exact recipes for these cupcakes but that would be a copy rite infringement. I will tell you which base the cupcakes started with and list a few key ingredients. I will also give you the name of the cupcake where to find the recipe. All recipes came from my favorite shortcut baker, Anne Byrn in her book The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free.
Andrea's Cupcakes
Andrea R.'s Cupcake: Andrea used the Hawaiian Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from The Cupcake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. What impressed me about Andrea's entry was her use of a filling which she accomplished with a cream cheese filling which she blended with a gluten-free banana cream pudding. Andrea used an injector tool similar to put a yummy bit of filling in the middle of each cupcake. Her injector tool would be similar to this one on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-3566-Cupcake-Injector-decorating/dp/B0042YYBNC/ref=pd_sim_k_13 Most people agreed that Andrea's cupcakes would win if the competition were taste alone.
Maggie W's Cupcake: Maggie's frog display was ADORABLE! Green frogs on a glass bead lily pad were so cute! Maggie also created her own twist on Betty Crocker's Gluten-free yellow cake mix.
Maggie's Cupcakes
1 Box(15oz) Betty Crocker's Gluten free yellow cake Mix
Mix according to box instructions (instead of 2/3 cup of water I added 2/3 cup of the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple, (but this made it a bit too moist)
1 Cup of mashed bananas (2 medium)
1 large Can of crushed pineapple
Frosting (or use classic white gluten free frosting and add coloring)
1/3 cup butter
3 cups powered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
green food coloring
Decorations
12 marshmallows cut into two
24 chocolate drops
Also green sugar
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups in each of 17 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, stir cupcake ingredients just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.
2. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat just until light brown, stirring occasionally. (Watch carefully because butter can burn quickly.) Remove from heat. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. In medium bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk until smooth and spreadable. Add food coloring, Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes.
5. Dip one end of marshmallow into water and dip into sugar (to make eyelids) add a chocolate drop for pupil (use abit of white frosting to glue on)
6. Add to cup cakes on the top, make a mouth and nose with another frosting color or food gel pen
Robin's Cupcakes
Robin's Cupcake
My cupcake I called Party in a jar. My Cupcakes also started with Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix. The recipe I used was The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free's Lunchbox Applesauce Cake. The use of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and chopped dates made this a spicy and moist little cake. I first made this recipe as a sheet cake a few months ago when I needed to use up some applesauce I had in the frig. The display inspiration came from a post on a friend's Facebook page recently. A student had given her a mason jar filled with a rainbow of cake. I had to try it! I used small mason jars and filled them 1/2 full with the cake batter. Once baked and cooled I topped the cakes with Browned Sugar Frosting. The theme is completed by adding a St. Patrick's day beaded necklace and a sparkler candle to each little mini cake.
Our Judges
Executive Chef J.R., Sodexo
Brian, E.C. Bright Horizons
Michelle, E.C. Bright Horizons
And the winner is...Maggie! Maggie and Andrea had the exact same number of points so a tie breaker decided the winner. My cupcake was one point behind the other two. All three cupcakes were devoured by happy samplers. What I was excited about was that Maggie is not herself gluten-free. This brings home my theme point that baking gluten-free is easy and can be done easily, even if you are new to the concept. Congratulations Maggie on winning first place! Congratulations Andrea for a very close second!
An honorable mention needs to go to all of our other entries. Congratulations for trying something new! All cupcakes were tasty and at the end of the day all were enjoyed. One of the most complimentary phrases I heard was "these are great cupcakes".
Sarah's (director) cupcakes Our only "from scratch" entry
Cindy's cupcakes Cute butterflies!
Bertha's cupcakes Very Sparkly!
Bonnie's (teacher) cupcakes Awesome alien design!
I would like to add one special thank you to Cindy. Knowing I wanted a prize for our Cupcake Wars, Cindy designed and made the trophy Cupcake Wars Apron. Thank you so much, Cindy!
Thank you to all who entered. Watch for our on site Iron Chef Gluten-Free contest coming soon.
Steve and I were at our local BevMo recently talking to our favorite sales rep Zack. Steve is my handsome husband for those of you who are just tuning in. Zack pointed out that there were several gluten free beer's available and said I should try one for my blog. What Zack didn't know is that I hate beer! I do love to cook with it however so this is first for you Zack. Secondly, this is for my sister Laura who asked that I include complete meal menus in some of my posts. I know your a vegetarian Laura and this brisket is not to your liking but the side dishes could easily be paired with your gluten free mac and cheese recipe and the dessert is to die for!http://www.bevmo.com/Misc/StoreDetail.aspx?sid=147
Beer, Ginger and Garlic Braised Brisket
adapted from The Food Network by Aarti Sequeira
Ingredients
2 tablespoons grape seed oil (that's what I had on hand so use what you have)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (I had light so I used light)
22 oz gluten free beer (two bottles were 24 oz so Steve drank the extra 2 oz)
beef or chicken broth (you may not need this...I didn't)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Warm the oil in a large, ovenproof dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the brisket with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the meat to the pot and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total. remove from the pot and set aside on a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods. they should sizzle upon contact with the oil in the pot. Once they start releasing their aroma in about 1 minute add the onions and Ginger-Garlic paste. Sprinkle with a touch of salt to help release moisture. Saute until onions soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and beer and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom. Carefully put brisket back into the pot. If needed add enough broth to bring the level halfway up the brisket. You can always add more beer too if you haven't drank it already. Bring the liquid to a boil, shut off the heat, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook a remaining 1/2 hour.
Take the brisket out of the pot and let it sit for a few minutes before cutting. Stir in the cider vinegar. If the gravy is too think add water or stock. If the gravy is too thin reduce it on the stove top. While stirring look for and remove cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.
Cut the brisket across the grain for best results. Spoon a little gravy over the top and enjoy!
*This gravy would also be great on mashed potatoes. I didn't make them only because we were having bread pudding for dessert and I felt we didn't need the extra carbs.
Garlic-Ginger Paste
1/2 cup cloves garlic
1/2 cup sliced fresh ginger
1/4 cup grape seed oil (again, use what you have)
Put all ingredients in a mini-food processor and let it chop till it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will be tiny pieces in the paste.
*What you don't use will keep in a glass jar for 2-3 weeks. Add it to marinades, pasta sauce, stir-fry sauce, slow-cooker recipes, gravy, etc.
Roasted Tomatoes
12 Firm tomatoes (I used Romas)
4 tablespoons Olive Oil (to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 -2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Freshly ground Pepper
Preheat oven to 450 F. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish. Sprinkle on each ingredient. Feel free to vary amounts to your taste. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Tomatoes will concentrate and caramelize. Serve hot or at room temperature.
*I thought of Laura's summer garden with this one. She always has the best tomatoes!
Asparagus
At least 4-5 spears of asparagus per person. Hold your asparagus by the middle in one hand. With your free hand hold the bottom cut end. Gently bend till it naturally snaps. This will tell you where the tender asparagus ends and the woody part begins. Keep the tender ends and discard the bottoms. Steam asparagus in a steamer over a little water. Asparagus simply does not need anything else to be wonderful. If you must, add salt and butter or your favorite sauce.
Drum roll please...dessert! Udi's makes some really good gluten free products. I absolutely love their snicker doodle cookies and their muffins are my go to, I don't have time to eat breakfast breakfast. Since I pull them right out of the freezer, I cut them in half and pop them in the toaster. A little butter and I'm out the door. Udi's posted a recipe contest that I couldn't resist entering. I used Udi's Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins and made the following yummy dessert.
Blueberry Bread Pudding with Amaretto Cream Sauce
1 pkg Udi’s Blueberry Muffins
2 tablespoons butter softened
2 tablespoons butter melted
3 cups milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 9 × 9 in baking dish or other dish that will hold pudding with softened butter. Break muffins into little pieces approximately the size of a dime. In a large bowl whisk the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon together. Add the muffin pieces and blueberries and mix well. Stir in the melted butter. Let sit for 30 minutes so the muffins will absorb the milk/egg mixture.
Pour into the prepared dish. Bake until firm when pressed in the center, about 1 1/2 hrs. Let cool about 20 minutes.
Amaretto Cream Sauce: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the amaretto and whisk till smooth. In a medium saucepan, scald 1/2 and 1/2 over medium heat. Add the amaretto mixture to the hot 1/2 and 1/2 and whisk constantly till mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook whisking for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add sugar. Whisk until dissolved. let cool to room temperature before serving with the bread pudding.
Serve warm
*You can make ahead and warm the sauce just before serving.
As you can see, Steve loves the sauce so much he had his in a shot glass.
Every time I meet someone who is living a gluten-free lifestyle I feel a commodore. I ask each of these new friends the same question hoping to get an inspiration for a new blog challenge. While in a break room at work recently I met Jackie. Jackie was lamenting a recent belly ache due to a mystery ingredient in her diet that was still a painful memory. Boy can I relate to that one!
I introduced myself and asked my repetitive question. What did Jackie miss since living gluten-free? Her answer "Grilled Cheese Sandwich". "Oh that's easy", was my reply. Jackie continued "I also need to tell you that I'm also allergic to corn and casein" (a protein found in dairy products). Oh boy! Okay, so now I have a challenge.
I first went in search of a meltable tasty cheese alternative that doesn't have gluten, corn or casein. I had no idea how hard that would be. I first bought one at Whole Foods that comes under the brand name of "Tease". Cute name but in the small print I found it contained corn. My next shopping trip found me at Sprouts where I found one and only one cheese alternative that met all our expectations. This product name is Cheddar Vegan Gourmet by Follow Your Heart. It melts nicely and has a similar texture and taste to American cheese...sort of. I would love to hear from others who may have had better luck in this category.
My next step in this challenge was the bread. None of the ready made gluten-free breads I found met all the allergy constraints I needed for Jackie. This led meant that I would need to bake my own bread. This is something I have done many times but not lately. I just find it easier to buy one of the products on the shelf most of the time. The ready made bread I prefer is Rudy's multi-grain. The price isn't bad either, especially if I catch one of Sprouts gluten free sales.
The bread I enjoy making most comes from a mix developed by my friend Arnel. She has developed a line of baking products that is second to none. I LOVE them! To remove as many allergens as possible I baked her Gluten-free bread mix with ground flax seed instead of eggs. This makes a delightful gluten-free, whole grain, dairy-free, corn-free and soy-free bread. After making the grilled cheese sandwich for Jackie I gifted her with the remainder of the loaf. I loved it when she commented "it's so soft". This bread is bendy unlike most of the other gluten-free breads on the market.
To make Jackie a grilled cheese sandwich it needed to be fresh. Who ever heard of a cold grilled cheese...yuck. I borrowed a panini press from another co-worker and gained permission to use it on site. Did you know that cheese smokes when it hits a panini press. Well, I do now! I was so afraid we'd set off the fire alarm system that I was only able to make one batch of sandwiches. I fit as many as would fit on the press, baked them and pulled the plug. I made the sandwiches with taking all of Jackie's allergies in mind for her and three others with dairy cheese for everyone else. Jackie got two sandwiches. The other three I cut in quarters so as many people could try them as possible.
I'd still like to find a better tasting cheese alternative. If I were making Jackie a sandwich again, I'd probably make it turkey or ham. There were however about a dozen people who were introduced to a gluten-free sandwich for the first time. Each of which who declared it yummy. This is partly what I want the world to know. Gluten-free food tastes great.
There is a time for baking things from scratch and there is a time for shortcuts. After testing multiple recipes, doing a little research for an upcoming gluten-free challenge and writing three blog entries I had one more thing to do. I had to bake muffins for a bake sale at my son's school. Now I've made muffins for these kids before...from scratch. I baked healthy ones with oatmeal and raisins and they didn't touch them. I baked chocolate muffins and hid zucchini in them but my son snitched and they wouldn't touch them. I give up! Double Chocolate Muffins it is but I'm not doing it from scratch again and that's okay. One of the delightful things I've discovered is that most gluten-free mixes are free of addatives that you don't want to feed your family. They are actually just good ingredients. Imagine that! It's okay to start with a box. We're not all supermoms you know! And with a few added ingredients no one will ever know, except my readers that is. And don't tell the kids but there is actually one healthy addative...shhh...don't tell.
Double Chocolate Muffins
One gluten-free chocolate cake mix (I used King Arthur Flour)
2/3 cup vegetable oil (use what your mix calls for)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (this mix called for it)
4 large eggs (or what your mix calls for)
1 1/3 cup secret healthy ingredient...drum roll please...orange juice (if using another brand just substatute the orange juice in equal amounts to the liquid it calls for)
1 cup chocolate chips
Mix and bake according to package directions.
*I made mini muffins and it yielded about 6 dozen
*feel free to get creative with add ins. I think I'll add in orange zest next time for go a different direction and add blueberries and cinnamon. Try something new and let me know what you do.
