KG's Gluten Free recipes, etc.

Notes on Making Fudge

2009-01-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

Fudge is a candy so you need to watch for certain changes as it cooks. I just made fudge today; white chocolate, chocolate & butterscotch using 14oz sweetened condensed milk and 3 cups of chips per batch.

The first 2 minutes is just to melt the chips. The chips want to hold their shape, so mix to get rid of their shape. The mixture will be very thick, not very shiny and taste gritty - not smooth & creamy.

Our house is real cold due to winter so it took more microwaving than in summer. I did 1', 1', 30", 30", 1" & 30", Mixing in between each microwave and observing the fudge.

The fudge as it cooks will hang on the spoon differently (Use a metal spoon. A plastic one might melt). When you're close to being done, the mixture will all of sudden bubble, puff up, decrease in viscosity and become shinier. The bowl will get hot.

Also you when you drop a drip into a glass of cold water, the fudge will form a soft ball, start to feel like fudge and hold together. It will also taste very smooth and creamy. Roll the soft ball from the cup of water with your tongue or between your fingers, when it's the right consistency for fudge, then you're done.

I line a 9x9" dish with foil and oil the foil. Then once the pan is filled, I put it in the freezer till it's cool then take it out and flip it over onto a foil lined sheet before cutting into squares.

Started a new blog for gluten free recipes

2008-08-10T05:00:00.001-07:00

I decided to consolidate my blogs so have started a new blog for gluten free recipes, http://glutenfreekat.blogspot.com .

Need to get ready for County Fair in July?

2008-06-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

My sister has entered a bread maker contest and wants to enter a gluten free bread, so pretty soon we got to start experimenting.

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Gluten Free India Potato Salad (Raita)

2007-08-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

I really like this potato salad. It's based on a recipe for Potato Raita from The Complete Indian Cookbook by Mridula Baljekar. A long time ago I worked my way through cookbooks from the first page onward. So my husband started cooking dinner in self defense and to this day, he is still not too crazy about Indian food. I guess he got sick of the seasonings, but I still like it.

Heat over medium heat

2 Tbsps oil

Fry till brown

1/4 tsp fennel seeds (taste like licorice) or celery seeds (optional - I usually skip this)

Add & cook till slightly brown

1 - 6 cloves of garlic (pressed)

Add, stir well. Cover pan and cook until tender & brown, stirring frequently.

2 - 6 large potatoes, diced (Thin skinned red potatoes won't need to be peeled.)

Stir in, mix thoroughly and remove from heat. Cool completely.

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Beat till smooth

about 2/3 cup plain yogurt (or 1 small container & they keep getting smaller.)
1/2 tsp sugar

Add spiced potatoes along with any oil/spice mixture that remains in the pan. Stir and mix well.

Put in serving dish and sprinkle on

1/4 tsp chili powder or paprika

Gluten Free Green Soup with pork

2007-07-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is a variation of the traditional caldo verde made gluten free by avoiding the sausage. Although I believe that there is now gluten free sausage available. I was cooking this & my husband raved how good it was so I figured, I better put it down in writing.

Cook in crockpot all day or overnight

3-4 country style pork ribs just covered with water

Once the ribs are cooked and nicely browned with a nice brown broth, you're ready to start the soup. I generally cook soups in a cast iron dutch pan, but I imagine any soup pot will do.

Saute till soft & starting to brown

4 large onions sliced

Add & saute

about 5-6 small mild peppers, 1 small hot pepper or 1/2 a regular bell pepper (optional)
1 stalk of rhubarb sliced* (optional)
sliced radishes** (optional)
4-6 garlic cloves

Then add and cook about 10-20 minutes till potatoes are soft

cooked meat & broth
4 diced potatoes (traditionally they're grated)
1 can white navy beans (about 15.5 oz can
about 1 teaspoon salt
about 1/2 teaspoon pepper
some chopped parsley (optional)

While all this is cooking, prepare

about 1 pound of greens. Traditionally kale is used but I really like swiss chard. Mustard greens and spinach work too. I usually just buy the best looking greens.

When preparing greens it important to wash them well. Easiest way is to fill the sink with water to let the dirt settle off them. Then cut out the rib, roll them up and cut into very skinny strips. Put them in a bowl of water to make sure all the grit is off. There is nothing worse than gritty greens. Then drain.

Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and add the greens. They will wilt. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Can add a little brown sugar if you like.

Notes:
*I have a lot of rhubarb right now & it tastes pretty good cooked in soup.
**Cooked radishes are good too.

Gluten Free Rhubarb Lemonade

2007-07-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is very good and easy to make.

Put in about 1 gallon stock pot

4-5 big stalks of Rhubarb sliced
about 1 cup sugar
about 1 gallon of water

Bring to a boil, the rhubarb will break up. Cool down. Can drink warm or cold.

Easy Microwave Gluten Free White Fudge - 2 variations.

2007-07-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is a very quick and easy dessert to make. It's based on regular chocolate fudge.

Mix together in large mixing bowl:

one 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups of white chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts or 7 oz sweetened coconut*

Microwave for 2 minutes, then mix.

Microwave for about 1-2 minutes more, mix and pour into oiled, wax paper lined 8x8 pan. Then let sit in fridge till hard.

*If you buy coconut that says it's "moist" and contains propylene glycol, the fudge will be softer & stickier, rather than harder.

Gluten Free Leche Quemada Sin Trabajo (Easy Milk Candy)

2007-07-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is a custard like dessert. Depending on how long you cook it, it's consistency ranges from that of pudding to that of flan. The longer you cook it, the darker in color and less sweet it gets.

8x8 pan, lined with oiled wax paper

Combine in very large straight sided glass mixing bowl

Two 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
about 1/2 teaspooon cinnamon (optional)

Cook on high in microwave*

2 minutes, then scrape down sides & stir
2 minutes, then scrape down sides & stir
1-2 minutes - till starts to crawl up sides. Will noticeably thicken.

Pour into prepared 8x8 pan. Fridge until firm. Then peel off wax paper & cut into squares.

* Every microwave is different. Watch & turn off microwave if it looks like milk is going to overflow bowl. Do not walk away from micro while candy is cooking unless you like cleaning your microwave.

Modified from page 262 of Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking, Ballantine books, December 1985, isbn: 0-345-32559-1

Original recipe had a variation where you cook unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk covered by boiling water 1-1.5 hours. I actually tried this by cooking 2 cans covered by water in my crockpot overnight, about 12 hours. The cans did not explode, but 12 hours was a bit long. My dessert was dark brown. Actually tasted fine. Could do an experiment with 4 cans pulling them out every 2 hours till you get the consistency you like. Then scoop out of the cans and season with a little cinnamon or wine.

I think cooking the cans covered with water in a crockpot is even easier than using the microwave.

Chicken tamales, Cuban flavored, naturally gluten free

2007-03-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

These are very nicely seasoned tamales. I thought about putting green olives in but then decided against it. The reason why I decided to make these is that my husband brought home these most awful tamales in a jar, so to wipe their taste of my mind I quick threw together these tamales. This is a 2 part recipe containing the masa (dough) and the meat portion. In the past I've used uncooked ground pork which is very good, but I changed it to cooked ragged chicken because I had some in our freezer and my sister doesn't like to eat too much pork.

Meat portion

1. Cook in crockpot about 4-8 hours until the meat shreds easily:

about 1 lb. (3) chicken breasts
in some water about 1/2 - 1 inch to keep meat moist

2. Saute the seasoning until not raw, chop and add ingredients one by one. Then set aside:

2-4 Tbs achiote (annato seed) colored oil
small onion
1/2 green or red pepper
3-6 garlic cloves
4 oz can minced mild canned green chilies, drained
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs cider vinegar to deglaze pan
Shredded (Ragged) Chicken
water that chicken was cooked in, (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

Masa (Dough)

1. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour mixture)

3 cups masa harina, finely ground corn flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp salt

2. Beat till creamy with electric mixer in large bowl

1 cup gluten free margarine

3. Alternate adding 3 Tbs at a time, dry ingredients and water while beating until light and fluffy after each addition until dough is very smooth and of spreading consistency.

1.75 cups + 3 Tbs lukewarm water

4. Start a big pot of water boiling

5. Make the tameles. Can use banana leaves or cornhusks but I used foil this time about 4-6" wide. (In the past I've saved corn husks from cooking corn but right now it's the wrong time of year to buy good corn.)

oil foil well
spread out about 1 heaping Tbs. masa (dough) leaving enough room to fold foild at least 3 times
lay out about heaping tsp of meat mixture in a line down the middle
fold over and make long skinny packets
cook about 45 minutes, drain, then eat.

Makes about 30 tamales

Pasteles, Naturally gluten free Puerto Rican Meat Pie

2007-02-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

This is my husband's favorite. Pasteles are a 2 part recipe: The masa (dough) and the seasoned meat filling. I make them small so I usually end up with about 40-50 pasteles

Meat filling
1. Process the following vegetables in a food processor till finely chopped:

onion (large)
green pepper
garlic cloves 4-6
cilantro 1/4- 1/2 bunch

2. Saute the vegetables in some achiote (annato seed) flavored oil until the vegetables aren't raw anymore. (Note: Easiest way to make this oil is to take 1/2 cup of achiote in glass measuring cup then fill up with oil to 1 cup. Then heat in microwave until oil is red. Be sure to watch it! Then filter out seeds. Careful. This oil is very staining.)

3. While the vegetables are cooking cut up about 2 pounds boneless pork roast into about 1/2 inch cubes. Then add to vegetables and cook till not raw. I usually chop and add small portions to my cast iron Dutch oven pot, then put on a cover and cook while I make the masa.

Masa (Dough)
1. Cut into pieces and process in food processor until medium to coarsely chopped. Yautia is very sticky and needs to be processed with the bananas and plantains or it will stop the processor. I also add achiote oil or broth from meat to aid processing. The dough should be thick, just slightly less so than cookie dough but definitely more than a ice cream shake. Start the big soup pot of water boiling while you make the masa.

4 pounds yautia
4 plantains
4 green bananas
very small potato or piece of hard squash
about 4 tablespoons or so broth from meat
about 4 tablespoons or so achiote oil

Make the packets

1. Tear foil to about 8" x 10" (can use banana leaves but then you have to tie them)
2. Oil foil with achiote oil
3. Spread about 1 Tbsp of masa on foil
4. Place about 1 tsp seasoned meat to one side of center
5. Add 1/2 of green olive to meat filling.
6. Fold over foil so masa encloses meat filling.
7. Make secure water proof packet by creasing over edges.
8. Add packets to boiling water. Cook about 1 hour, then drain.

Gluten Free Chocolate dipped peanut butter balls

2006-12-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

This recipe for these Chocolage peanut butter balls has been in our family for ages. It's a nonbake cookie. Very good.

Mix together & form into balls

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup peanut butter

Melt in microwave (about 30 second increments & mixing after each till chocolate is melted)

abou 1.5 cups chocolate chips*

Dip peanut butter balls into chocolate then let harden

*This time I also added a 14 oz can of Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk to the chocolate chips.

Gluten Free Nut Butter Thumbprints filled with Jam

2006-12-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

This nut butter cookie tastes great and a lot like those hershey kisses cookies except that it is filled with jam. I didn't have regular white rice flour so used sweet rice flour and they turned out very good. Basically my goal is to have gluten free food that tastes so good that non celiacs want to eat it too. Another great recipe from p. 176 of Bette Hagman's "The GF Gourmet makes Dessert"

10-15 minutes, 350F, 2 ungreased cookie sheets

Preblend the dry ingredients then set aside

1/2 cup sweet rice or regular white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1.5 tsp. potato flour
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream together

1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup nut butter (I used cashew & it tastes great)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Then add

2 eggs

Then add dry ingredients and mix just till smooth.

Put in the fridge for a little while or dust your hands with potato or cornstarch to make the dough easier to handle. Make about 1" balls and put on cookie sheet. Make a depression in each with your thumb. Fill the depression with jam & bake.

Easy Gluten Free Microwave Fudge

2006-12-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from a can of Borden's Eagle Brand Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk. I took out the 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract and added 1 Tbs. of Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder because it seemed too sweet to me. Also cooked it in the microwave. Also added some pecans. Much easier to melt chips that way. Just remember Chocolate chips are formulated to hold their shape even when melted, so mix to break down the shape.

Combine & microwave about 2 minutes to melt chips

14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk
3 cups chocolate chips
1 Tbs. Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder

Mix by hand to blend melted chips with rest of ingredients, then microwave 1-2 minutes more and add

1 cup pecans (optional)

Pour into wax paper lined 8" pan and put in fridge 2+ hours. Turn fudge out onto cutting board, peel off wax paper & cut into squares.

Orange Shortbread

2006-12-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

This could be baked in an 8" pan as per the directions on p.289 of Bette Hagman's "The GF Gourmet Makes Dessert" but I made a log in plastic wrap and made cookies from the slices. Only made 1 cookie sheet of cookies.

10-15" 350F, 1 ungreased cookie sheet.

Blend until ball forms

1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1 tsp. fresh grated orange zest
1-2 Tbs. orange juice

Make a log in plastic wrap, Fridge for 1-2 hours, cut off slices and bake.

Lemon Melts, a shortbread type cookie

2006-12-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

This is fairly easy to make. I didn't bother with the frosting. I think it would be a good cookie, like most shortbread cookies, to dip into milk or coffee while eating Nice lemon flavor. If you want the frosting recipe, look on p.290 of Bette Hagman's "The GF Gourmet Makes Dessert" I accidently added double the margarine so had to double the recipe.

10-15minutes, 350F, 2 ungreased cookie sheets.

Blend on low while scraping sides of bowl until firm ball forms

3/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 envelope (2 tsp) plain gelatin
1.5 cups cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbs. lemon juice

Make a log in plastic wrap and put in fridge for about 1-2 hours. Cut 1/4" slices and bake.

Gluten Free Date-Nut Kisses, a semi-fragile meringue type cookies

2006-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

This cookie is more like a traditional meringue cookie that powders in your mouth, while the previous caramel-pecan cookie is more chewy. I had to hand chop the dates because they were too sticky for my processor. I changed the cooking method from the one on p.293 of Bette Hagman's "The GF Gourmet Makes Dessert"

10-15", 300F, 2 oiled cookie sheets.

Beat on high to make stiff peaks

2 Tbs. Just Whites
6 Tbs. water
1/8 tsp. salt

Slowly add while beating

1 cup sugar

Fold in

1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets & bake. Then let sit several hours before removing from sheets.

Gluten Free Caramel-Pecan Kisses, a meringue type cookie

2006-12-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

These are very good. When making meringues make sure that your equipment is clean & dry without any grease in order to form nice peaks with the egg whites. I like to use "just whites", a powdered egg white, so recipe is slightly different than the one on p. 294 of Bette Hagman's "The GF Gourmet Makes Dessert"

10-15 minutes, 325F, 2 greased cookie sheets

Grind medium fine in food processor

1.5 cups pecans
1 tbs sugar

Make meringue portion by beating on high until stiff peaks form

4 tsp just whites
1/4 cup water

Then slowly add and continue beating until thick, about 2 minutes

1.25 cups brown sugar

Fold in ground pecans

Drop in heaping teaspoons onto cookies sheets. Bake till cookies are slightly cracked. Leave on cookie sheets for several hours before removing.

Gluten Free Pinwheel cookies

2006-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

I took the sugar cookie recipe and divided into 2. In one half I added 1 tbs. of Hersey's special dark cocoa powder. I wrapped both halves in plastic and put in the fridge after kneading some more potato starch into them so they were less sticky.

After 2+ hours, I rolled out each half on plastic wrap to about 1/8" trying to make them both the same size. Then placed the chocolate portion onto the white portion and rolled them up like a jelly roll to make a spirol. Then I put this roll in the fridge.

After about 1-2 hours, I took it out & cut about 1/4" thick slices and baked them about 10-15' at 350F.

The chocolate really makes a good flavor & texture. Similiar to oreos. Probably could take this recipe, make it all chocolate with thinner slices, bake and frost with vanilla frosting to make oreo cookies.

Gluten Free Coconut Haystacks

2006-12-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

This is a very easy cookie made with commonly found ingredients. I didn't bother chopping the coconut in the food processor per directions on p. 297 of Bette Hagman's "GF Gourmet makes Dessert." (She's one of my favorite authors. If you're doing a lot of gluten free cooking you need to buy her books.)

10-15 minutes, 350F, 2 greased cookie sheets

Blend together (I used my hands) in medium large mixing bowl

One 14 oz pkg (4 cups) lightly packed coconut
1/2 cup sugar

In small bowl beat till frothy

2 eggs

Then combine eggs with coconut and mix thoroughly. Spoon out in 1" mounds on cookie sheets.

These cookies are very sticky. They wanted to stick to the pans. My bottoms browned more than my tops, but the cookies still tasted good.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

2006-12-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

These are great gluten free sugar cookies. The kids can play & roll out the dough without it getting tough. This is a recipe modified from p. 175 Bette Hagman's "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Makes Dessert. Last year I substituted different flours (sorghum, millet & garfava/sorghum blend) for the rice flour and we all felt the sorghum flour was the best followed by the millet flour. The addition of garfava made it chewy.

abt 10-15 minutes at 350F

Blend together the dry ingredients & set aside:

2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. potato flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2.5 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder

Cream together:

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup crisco
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Add dry ingredients & mix to combine into a soft ball.

Knead in enough potato starch to make dough easy to handle and roll out.

about 1/4 cup or so* of potato starch

Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap** to about 1/8 inch*** thickness and cut into desired shapes. Place on pan, decorate if desired & bake.

Notes:
* I generally mix in the 1/4 cup of potato starch right in the bowl, then take out about 1/3 of the dough and put it on the counter generously covered with potato starch to knead into a workable dough. So I have no idea how much potato starch goes in, could be anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
**I don't have the patience to roll out the dough between plastic sheets so since my kitchen is mostly gluten free and I don't have to worry about cross contamination, I just do it on my counter.
***My dough is probably closer 1/4 inch thickness.

I wonder if I cut back on the tapioca flour if I would get a cookie more like polvorones (dust cookies).

Gluten Free Parmesan Chicken

2006-12-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is an easy version of baked Parmesan and Tomato Chicken. It's based on a recipe from page 27 of Leanne Ely's Saving Dinner book. Also see her website at http://www.savingdinner.com . Except of course I can never follow a recipe as it's written so substituted tomato sauce for the butter/oil mixture for dipping the chicken and I used strips of chicken breast instead of drum sticks.

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Foil then oil two shallow baking pans.

2) Grate two 5oz pkgs of Parmesan cheese*

3) Prepare tomato dipping sauce:

About 1/2 can tomato paste
About 1-2 cans of water till it makes a sauce consistency
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 capful oregano
1 capful paprika
salt
pepper
splash of red wine vinegar

4) Cut 4-6 chicken breasts into 3 strips each breast

5) Dip chicken strips into tomato sauce, roll in parmesan cheese, then place on foil lined pan.

6) Bake 45 minutes at 375F.

*I usually grate the cheese in the food processor attachment for my blender. Many times store bought grated cheese is contaminated with gluten, even if it's not listed on the package.

*This tastes very good reheated in microwave, not as good eaten semi-frozen from your car cooler.

Gluten Free Cornbread stuffing for Turkey

2006-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

This is a nice flavored stuffing for your turkey. The bright yellow color of the cornbread is attractive and it has an overall nice flavor.

Saute the following in large cast iron or other fry pan:

Olive oil, preheat while chopping onion
1 large onion, cook till translucent before adding the rest of the vegetables
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2-3 celery stalks, sliced
1 green pepper chopped
handful of cranberries, can cut in half if you like (optional)

Melt

1/2 stick of margarine

Add & turn off heat

2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped fine
salt, about a tsp
pepper, about 1/4 tsp

In large mixing bowl:

juice from 1/2 lemon
2 apples, chopped, blend with lemon juice
Add cooked vegetables
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 pan of cornbread, cut into about 1.5" cubes

At this point, you can lightly stuff a turkey with this stuffing and put the rest in the crockpot on low. For a dryer stuffing, vent the crockpot cover if there is too much condensation

While the turkey is cooking, cook the turkey neck in some water in the pan where you sauteed the vegetables. Let the water cook down to about 1/2 cup and add it to the stuffing in the crockpot if it needs it, whenever you think of it or feel like it.

When the turkey comes out, add the stuffing from inside the turkey to the crockpot stuffing.

If no turkey, just add some broth to the stuffing.

Sidenote: For the second year in a row we bought our gluten free, free range small 12# turkey from Jacobson Bros - Quality Meats & Deli (262-789-1446) located in the back of Brennans Market ( http://www.brennansmarket.com ) My turkey turned out very good this year. Perfect texture and moistness. I oiled it with olive oil to which 3 pressed garlic cloves had been added along with salt and pepper, then lightly stuffed it with the cornbread stuffing. Then I lined my lasagne pan with foil and covered the bird with foil. I got down earlier than expected with the rinsing of the turkey so put it in at 350F around 10:30 am, but then we decided to go for a walk around noon, so I turned down the oven to 300F, Then took off the foil and turned the oven up to 375-400F until 5. Took it out of the oven at 5. Drained off the drippings. Covered the turkey back up with foil. Put everything in the cooler. At 6pm sliced the turkey up for serving.

Gluten Free Cornbread Recipes

2006-11-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

Here's 4 cornbread recipes. They vary from heavy and grainy to light and more cake-like. Last year I made blueberry cornbread muffins for Thanksgiving but I can't remember the recipe. It was probably a conglomeration of recipes made into one, but I can't find my notes, so here I go again. I had my husband rate them. I made them in a 4 x 8 loaf pan, even though the recipes said an 8x8 pan for 20-30 minutes at 375-400. The edges started browning before the middle was done. So if you're making these in a loaf pan instead of the traditional 8x8 pan you need to turn the heat down to 325-350F and bake about 45-60'. My husband rated them on a scale of 1-5 for me. He likes cake-like. I like heavy and dense. The recipes are slightly modified from my cookbooks, I prefer to use oil instead of melted margarine, I don't have regular milk in my house or buttermilk, didn't have pure orange juice, cut back on the salt, etc. I very rarely can follow a recipe exactly without tweaking it.

Husband rated on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best. He likes cornbreads that don't catch in your throat.

Shreve Stockton's "Eating Gluten Free" p. 83. Very easy to make. Few ingredients. Husband rated 2.5 Heavy, very dark color, grainy bread, needs to be buttered to aid swallowing, sharp flavor. The soy flavor is very heavy, might be improved by using a more mild flavored bean flour.
Roben Ryberg's "The Gluten Free Kitchen" p. 88 Batter was very thin. Nice appearance, Nice yellow color, rounded top. Husband rated 3.75. He liked color and cake-like texture
Roben Ryberg's "The Gluten Free Kitchen" p. 89 Brown sugar separated out and made a ring in the center. A darker bread, probably due to brown sugar. Husband rated 3.
Bette Hagman's "The Gluten Free Gourmet bakes bread" p. 151. Eggy and cake like. Husband rated 4. He like moistness, cake like texture and the less granulated texture.

I wonder if adding gelatin would help with the moisture and shelf life? #2 & #4 rose the best. #1 was very dense. Here's my modified recipes.

Basic cooking directions: Preblend dry ingredients, then add wet (lightly beat egg by hand), Then pour inot oiled loaf pan and bake about 45-60' at 325-350F

#1 Dense cornbread
Dry Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup soy flour
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan

Wet Ingredients

3/4 cup soy milk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey

#2 Cake-like Cornbread

Dry Ingredients:

1/3 cup potato starch
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan
1/2 cup sugar

Wet Ingredients

1 cup soymilk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp cider vinegar

#3 Brown sugar Cornbread

Dry Ingredients

1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup corn starch
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan
1/2 cup brown sugar (Maybe blend with wet ingredients next time?)
3 Tbsp buttermilk powder

Wet ingredients

3/4 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup oil

#4 Eggy Cake-like Cornbread

Dry Ingredients

4 Tbsp garbanzo bean flour
1 rounded Tbsp sorghum flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp egg replacer
1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients

1 cup yogurt
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup orange-pineapple-banana juice
2 eggs

I will probably use 2 & 4 for the stuffing tomorrow, just for a better appearance. That's another recipe I should write down that is just my hand where I wing it every year.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Toll house style cookies

2006-11-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

These chocolate chip cookies are very nice, moist and not crumbly. They're like the ones my mom made us as kids. They're modified from Phyllis L. Potts recipe on page 96 of her book "Going against the Grain: Wheat-Free Cookery" isbn 0-9630479-0-6. I doubled the recipe, cut back on the margarine & sugar and bake it in a 13"x9" pan instead of doing drop cookies. I've been really busy with www.nanowrimo.com and am up to about 29,000 words. Only 21,000 words left to go. Baked 3 things this Wednesday; these chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin cookies and my sister's favorite carrot muffins. She says she likes the pumpkin cookies but I don't like them at all, but then I like tomato-garlic toast, Catalan style and she's not so much into that. Here's the best chocolate chip cookies in the world!

Toll house style chocolate cookies
Bake 325-350F for about 30-45 minutes or so. 13x9 pan or lasagne pan

Blend dry ingredients then set aside

1 & 1/3 cup bean flour
1 & 1/3 cup rice flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp Xanthan gum
1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Cream together

1 & 1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Then add & mix in

3 eggs

Then add dry ingredient blend and mix

Then add & mix in

about 6 oz or so mini chocolate chips
about 1 cup nuts (I like walnut)

Put in pan & bake

Made a batch up for my Sis's Birthday on 12/10, got interrupted after mixing so put mix in fridge, then made drop cookies later from the cold dough. Hung them on her door but the kids ate half of them before she could hide them. So made some more this week in bar form and gave them to her at the kids christmas concert on 12/14/06.

Apple Chicken

2006-11-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

Use cast iron dutch oven pan or a pan of similiar size. Makes 7 servings/pints

Heat oil while cutting chicken up into about 1" cubes:

about 1-3 tsp oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Start browning the chicken cubes in 2 batches while cutting up the vegetables & fruit:

2 sticks of chopped celery
4 small potatoes 1/2" cubes
1/4 head of cauliflower
bean pods, a handful or so (optional)
4 apples and/or pears, cubed & quartered

Return all chicken to pan, add, cover and cook about 5-10 minutes:

1 cup white wine (helps deglaze the pan)
vegetables but not fruit

Then add cut up fruit, cover and cook till potatoes tender.

Make sauce while vegetables & fruit are cooking:

3 Tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup cider vinegar (add slowly to cornstarch while mixing to avoid lumps)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs GF Worcestershire sauce (I got this at the Gluten Free Trading Company)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Pour sauce over mixture in pan, mix and cook till it thickens.

This recipe has been revised from a recipe in my "Saving Diner" Cookbook that I lent to my sister. You can find more information about this cookbook in an indirect way from http://www.flylady.net

Moroccan Fish Tangine

2006-11-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

13" x 9" pan, covered with foil. 30-60 minutes at 400F. Makes 4 pints/servings

Mix together in medium bowl:

3 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
3 Tbs paprika
3 Tbs tomato puree
Juice from 1 lemon

Coat both sides with tomato mixture & let sit while cutting veggies:

1 lb white fish

Arrange half of vegetables on bottom of pan, then put in fish, then put the rest on top.

3 sliced tomatoes
2 sliced green peppers
1/2 cauliflower sliced

Sprinkle with:

salt & ground pepper to taste
chopped cilantro

Cover & Bake

I think next time I make this I will only use 1 Tbs of tomatoe paste but more tomatoes and other veggies.

This recipe is from my "Saving Dinner" Cookbook that I lent to my sister. You can find out more about this cookbook in an indirect sort of way on http://flylady.net

Gluten Free Garbanzo Bean Flour Bread

2006-11-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

This bread is a little heavier than cornstarch bread but has a decent texture like wheat bread. Takes about twice as long to toast as the cornstarch bread and didn't continue to rise after I put it in the oven. Tastes good same day, but like the cornstarch bread and other homemade non-preservative containing breads it needs to be toasted for the best flavor on following days.

One oiled and rice floured 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes at 400F. Cover with foil after the first 10-15 minutes.

Blend dry ingredients together:

1/2 cup + 2 Tbs + 2 tsp garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs + 2 tsp tapioca flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs + 2 tsp cornstarch
1.5 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp egg replacer
2.25 tsp yeast

Blend wet ingredients together:

1 egg
2 tsp just whites
2 Tbs water
3 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp molasses
1.25 cups water

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients slowly into well while mixing. Once mixed together, turn mixer to high and mix about 3-4 minutes till xanthan activates. (Mixture will thicken.) Spoon into prepared pan. let rise until dough reaches the top of the pan about 30-60 minutes. (I usually cover the pan with a larger loaf pan and put it in a warm spot.) Then bake.

I made this quite late the other night, so when it came out of the oven I just laid the pan on its side on a rack in the closed microwave oven to cool, slice and bag for freezer in the morning. (I tend to use my microwave as a bread box.) I've made and eaten tomato sandwiches on toast 2 days in a row now from this bread and it tastes and holds up fine.

This recipe based on a recipe from my Bette Hagman "The Gluten-Free Gourment Bakes Bread" Cookbook. She's is one of my favorite cookbook authors. I got a lot of her books, but I never can follow a recipe straight, I always have to make changes which I keep track of in a notebook.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Frozen Mint and Coconut Sorbet

2006-10-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

This mint flavored coconut sorbet uses few ingredients and is quick & easy to make. Originally I made it without the mint but then my sister really liked it and asked me to add some mint to it.

Mix together in glass bowl:

14 oz can coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
8-9 whole mint leaves

Heat about 2-4 minutes in microwave to allow the mint leaves to release their flavor. Cool somewhat. Then strain out mint leaves and put mixture in fridge a couple of hours or overnight. Then process in ice cream maker.

Soft Gluten and Egg Free Pumpkin Cookies

2006-10-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

A very soft cookie that tastes like pumpkin pie based on a recipe in the Milwaukee Journal from a couple of weeks ago that I can no longer find online.

Preheat oven to 350F

Blend dry ingredients together:

1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup potato flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I ground from cinnamon sticks)
1/4 teaspoon gluten free vanilla powder

Cream wet ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) gluten free margarine
3/4 cup honey
15 oz can pumpkin (original recipe called for 1 cup)

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend.

Add 1/2 cup nuts if desired

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookies sheets & press down to flatten somewhat with oiled or rice-floured fork. Bake about 9-12 minutes. Makes about 3 cookie sheets worth

Gluten Free Frozen Vanilla Yogurt

2006-10-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

This a easy gluten free frozen yogurt recipe with a strong yogurt flavor.

Combine the following, then heat in microwave about 2-4 minutes until gelatin dissolves and solution is clear:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon gelatin
1/4 teaspoon gluten free vanilla powder

Let cool, then stir in:

1.5 cups yogurt

Cool in fridge several hours or overnight, then process in ice cream machine

This has a strong yogurt taste.

My sister is so disappointed. Our neighborhood store has stopped carrying Breyer's lactose free ice cream which was the only ice cream she could eat without getting sick. However, according to the store locator at www.breyers.com some stores in our area should carry it.

Link to gluten free brownie and pumpkin cookie recipes

2006-10-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

I always like reading recipes, especially specialty recipes, so when my mom told me about some recipes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal I looked on-line. While I was searching on-line for the recipes I found an article about The Gluten Free Trading Company.

My mom told me about these recipes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. They follow a story on food allergies called "Eating with Care, Food Allergies require vigilance at the table" http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=507281 . They use rice flour but I would probably switch it out with sorghum. A lot of grocery stores now carry xanthan gum in their special diet food section.

Also found an article on how & why the owners of The Gluten Free trading company started their store called "Gluten-Free is more than a lifestyle, It's a Business" http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=509966 . According to the article "Their store was the first exclusively gluten-free market in the country..." Pretty cool for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Why I started blogging and October is Celiac Disease Awareness Month

2006-10-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

This blog started out as a way to organize my recipes and gluten free cooking experiments for my sister. We have way different taste preferences. I like intense flavors. She likes mild flavors. I like spicy foods. She likes bland foods. (Though she does eat sauteed garlic & onions.) I prefer only chocolate desserts. She doesn't like chocolate.

A couple years ago after the death of her husband my sister discoverred she had celiac disease. So I ordered a lot of books on Gluten Free Cooking, Allergies and Celiac Disease from the library and looked up information on-line. Then I started cooking treats for her.

Overall a gluten free diet isn't too bad if you have a not too rigorous schedule, can eat at home and your family is willing to also eat gluten free. Basically you can eat plain fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, quinoa, millet and unflavored meat. However the typical American diet contains lot of processed foods and eating out with kids in sports and other activities.

Gluten Free foods have become more available over the years but tend to be a lot more expensive. Even the ingredients are expensive. In the past it was very difficult to get gluten free products but now many Pic n' Save grocery stores carry them. A great store staffed by great, knowledgeable people (most who can't eat gluten) is The Gluten Free Trading Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin http://www.food4celiacs.com/ .

October is Celiac Disease Awareness month and NIH has launched a Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign for Health Care Providers and the Public. All I can say is, it's about time. Just a couple months ago I heard a doctor on the radio telling a caller diagnosed with Celiac Disease that once their symptoms cleared up they could go back to eating regular bread up to the point where they could tolerate it. I sent him an email but there was not even a automatic response.

Here's some info from NIH:

Since we have several people with CD in our area my sister was lucky and knowledgeable enough to ask her doctor to run the necessary tests. However, it seems to be me that this is not a disease that doctors are trained to recognize and therefore most people have to be proactive and insistent. It was true several years ago and it still seems to be true today.

"All it took to alleviate their symptoms was a gluten free diet": http://cbs2.com/health/health_story_280015610.html
"How we got diagnosed" http://onlysometimesclever.wordpress.com/2006/09/29/more-on-celiac-disease-how-we-got-diagnosed/

I read about an enzyme that could help Celiac Disease patients tolerate gluten about a year ago. It's still in the experimental stages but supposedly could help prevent a reaction if you accidently consume gluten. (It's very difficult to escape some cross contamination if you eat out and your family continues to eat foods containing gluten.)

Cornstarch Plus Gluten Free Bread

2006-10-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

So far I like this recipe the best out all the gluten free breads I've made. This Cornstarch brerad is easy to make, has a nice texture and is very soft.

Two 4.25 x 8.25 oiled* loaf pans. Rest 15 minutes, Rise 15 minutes, Bake 15-25min at 450F

Blend together in large mixer bowl:

2 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup cornstarch or sorghum flour or buckwheat flour or montina flour or ... **
1/3 cup potato starch flour
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
2 tablespoons dried egg white
1 packet (about 2.5 teaspoons) gelatin
4.5 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons xanthan gum
3 tablespoons finely ground pecans or walnuts or almond flour or buttermilk powder or ...

Add & beat vigorously about 2 minutes on medium. Dough starts out thin. Cover & let stand for 15 minutes:

2 cups hot water (about 120F)

Add & beat till smooth & well mixed:

2.5 tablespoons oil
1.5 teaspoons salt

Pour batter into prepared pans, cover & let rise about 20 minutes till reaches top*** of pans, then bake until golden brown.

Cover with towel & let cool 10 minutes. Cool completely before cutting

*I use nonstick pans, oil & flour them with rice flour, otherwise it's very difficult to remove bread from pans. I'm looking for silicone pans to experiment with.

** Original recipe used 1.5 cups of cornstarch flour. (I think I got the original version from one of Bette Hagman's books. She's one of my favorite Gluten Free Cookbook authors.)

***Don't let batter rise over top of pans or bread will be too flimsy. Still tastes fine.

10/12/06 Made a very nice version with buckwheat & buttermilk powder. Sliced nice. I always slice it, then put it in the freezer. Homemade bread doesn't have the additives in it like store bought bread to keep it fresh. Gelatin has been put in this recipe for texture & freshness.

Gluten Free Play Dough

2006-09-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

This simple 3 ingredient Gluten Free Play Dough recipe is over 20 years old. I don't even remember where I got it but I had handwritten it inside the cover of one of my cookbooks long before I even knew about Celiac Disease

Mix together in straight sided large glass mixing bowl:

2 cups baking soda
1 cup corn starch

Then slowly add while mixing

1.25 cups water

Cook at 2 minute intervals, stirring every 2 minutes until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes. (It will build up on the sides of the bowl. Just mix it in. Decrease the microwave time if needed as it gets thicker.)

Then knead on counter till smooth. If needed, dust counter with cornstarch.

This can be used to make ornaments and maps. Takes about 1-2 days to dry or can dry in low temperature 200F oven. It can be painted. I have never colored it. However I looked at the ingredients in Gluten Free food coloring for frosting which basically contain concentrated colored juices, so can either try those food colorings or maybe juices from food that stains like beets, achiote/annato seeds, blueberries, etc.

Here's some links to other Gluten Free Play Dough (Haven't tried any of them yet)

http://www.celiactravel.com/blog/2006/09/is-your-child-playing-with-gluten-free.html (Can sign up here to get a gluten free recipe emailed to you daily)
http://www.free-from.com/blog/2006/06/25/gluten-free-play-dough/

Gluten Free Frozen dessert recipe experiments

2006-09-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

So far my sister likes frozen vanilla yogurt the best. Her family likes the sorbets. Frozen tofu was too dry like cookie dough. Frozen maple/soy dessert was OK.

1st set of experiments:

Apricot Sorbet, very good: 1 cup sugar, orange zest, 3/4 cup water, 8 oz apricot juice & juice from 1 lemon.
Frozen vanilla yogurt, good: strong, yogurt flavor
Frozen maple syrup/soy desert, OK: 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup soymilk, 1 tsp gelatin, 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
Coffee Ice, good: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup coffee (I like it, but my sister doesn't drink coffee or eat chocolate - my 2 vices.)
Frozen tofu: NG, too dry

2nd set of experiments: Still to be evaluated

Coconut sorbet: 14 oz can coconut milk, 1/3 cup sugar
Frozen banana desert: 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 mashed bananas
Sugar solution: 3 cup sugar + 3 cup water = 4 3/4 cup clear solution after microwaved
Orange sorbet: 2 cup sugar solution, 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
Grape sorbet: 2 cup sugar solution, 1/2 cup grape juice concentrate

The juice sorbets are difficult to freeze & melt easily, probably due to the high level of sugar. Next set of sorbets will try cutting back on the sugar and/or sugar solution

Gluten Free Frozen Maple Soymilk Desert Recipe

2006-09-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Combine 1/2 cup pure maple syrup and 1/2 cup plain soy milk in large straight sided mixing bowl.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon gelatin & 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum. Let sit till gelatin softens.
Heat in microwave 2-5 minutes. Careful that it doesn't overflow.
Let cool overnight in fridge.
Process in ice cream maker: 10 minutes on high, then 20 minutes on low.
Spoon out into container & put in freezer.

Revised from 3 chili company ice cream maker book

Gluten and Egg Free Raisin Quinoa Flake (Fake Oatmeal) Drop Cookie Recipe

2006-09-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

This Gluten & Egg Free Quinoa Flake Drop Cookie is sweet with a very good honey flavor.

Bake 12-15 minutes at 350F on oiled cookie sheets

Mix dry ingredients together in separate bowl and set aside: 1 cup sorghum flour, 3/4 cup quinoa flakes, 1 tsp baking soda, pinch vanilla powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Beat wet ingredients until creamy: 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/2 cup honey
Then add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend well.
Mix in 1/2 - 1 cup raisins. (Can add 1/2 cup nuts.)
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet & bake.

Notes: Original recipe from back up quinoa flake box used rice flour instead of sorghum but I think sorghum has a nicer texture and flavor. It also had 1/2 cup of brown sugar but that was too sweet. I think 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon would taste really good in here, but the last jar I got (from the same manufacturer I had bought it from previously) made my sister sick when I put it in a recipe. Apparently it's contaminated and/or the manufacturing process has changed. Maybe I'll try grinding some cinnamon sticks.

10/17/06 Got tired of doing drop cookies so double recipe, added about 1 cup each of raisins and walnuts and baked about 25 minutes in oiled 13x9" pan. Turned out fine.

Gluten Free Vegetarian Lasagne Recipe - Non-celiacs will like, Time consuming but easy

2006-09-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Use nonstick lasagne pan. Cover with foil and cook 1 hour at 350F. Last 10 minutes, bake uncovered to lightly brown top.

I usually do everything all at the same time but it can be done stepwise.

Make Seasoning Mixture: Put some oil in a frypan, then chop & add the following ingredients one at a time. 1-2 onions, 1/2 - 1 green pepper, 3-6 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt (Optional ingredients: 6-12" rhubarb, 1/2 - 1 stalk celery, handful fresh parsley, handful fresh oregano) Cook until vegetables are soft & don't taste raw. Then split & put in 2 separate large bowls.
Make Vegetable mixture: Thaw 16 oz package of spinach in microwave. Slice and saute 8 oz package mushrooms till soft & light golden brown. Add spinach & mushrooms to one bowl containing 1/2 of seasoning mixture. (Can also add zuchini and other vegetables, if fresh, saute till it gives up extra moisture, if frozen, microwave & pat dry if wet). Mix everything together
Make Sauce: Put 2 can gluten free tomato paste in bowl with the other 1/2 of seasoning mixture. Add 1 teaspoon brown sugar and salt to taste. (Pepper is optional.) Mix to blend. Add 5-6 cups of water, mixing after each one until it reaches the consistency of sauce.
Make Cheese Mixture: Blend together, 24 oz 1% lowfat cottage cheese, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 eggs, 1 wedge fresh grated parmesan cheese (reserve some for the top) and 1 pound fresh grated mozarella cheese.
Noodles: Use DeBoles Rice Lasagne No Boiling Oven Ready Noodles

Make your layers:

Sauce
Noodles
Cheese
Vegetables
Sauce
Noodles
Cheese
Vegetables

Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top, cover with foil & bake 1 hour at 350, last 10 minutes uncovered.

Notes:

I tend to use very little processed foods and spices to avoid undeclared gluten and undisclosed manufacturing changes. I also call and email manufacturers to verify gluten free status of products. Cheese grated by manufacturer can contain undeclared gluten, that's why I use the food processor to grate cheese blocks. At this time Kemps cottage cheese and Roundy's tomato paste is gluten free.
Brown sugar takes away the sharpness of the tomato paste.
This lasagne can be cut into squares, wrapped in plastic, put in a ziplock bag in freezer to serve as an emergency last minute dinner when you're starving.
When I make Lasagne, I don't use a recipe. When I'm at the store I look at the back of the the Lasagne box and say oh yeah I need some cheese and veggies. If I'm making it for my husband I put in meat. If I'm making it for everyone else the main filling ingredient is spinach and mushrooms.

For more information on DeBoles gluten free, No Boiling, Oven Ready Lasagne see http://www.deboles.com/