Thursday, March 29, 2012

Must-Have Gluten Free Flours and Staples

Gluten Free can be very expensive. To keep costs down I try to only buy things as I need them. But when my staples go on sale I try to stock up.
My favorite gluten free flours are rice, tapioca, sorghum and almond.
Rice is cheap and a good filler flour. The texture is what really gives away that it is gf.
Tapioca isn't very expensive either and it gives a glue-like texture. We go through it super fast because of the Brazilian cheese rolls!
Sorghum tastes like wheat but is a little more gritty. Really good for a "whole-grain" effect.
Almond is really good. I love the taste and creaminess it brings but you have to be careful because it is really dense. Also pretty expensive. I love using it in cupcakes, muffins and banana bread.
Xanthan gum is a must for any gf household. It is not cheap, but it will last a long time and make a huge difference in your baking.
I use gf oats in cookies and muffins a lot. It's another good filler that is more familiar.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Amazing Pinto Beans in the Slow Cooker

These beans are so yummy and amazingly easy. You just have to plan ahead so you can soak the beans overnight.

I usually do about 2 cups of beans. It won't look like much, but they expand a lot, like to 3 sizes bigger. I have a medium sized crock pot. It fits the 2 cups perfectly. If you did soak too much, leave the beans in the fridge and cook within a few days.

Rinse the beans once or twice in a large bowl. Fill with water so there is a good 2-3 inches above the beans. Soak overnight. In the morning drain and rinse really well.
(If you really want to do the beans but forgot to soak them you can parboil them)

Put beans in the Crockpot. Add 2 cans of chicken broth (Swanson's is gluten free). Fill with water until there is about 1 inch of liquid above the beans. Add 2t garlic powder, 1t cumin, 1t coriander and 1/2-1t chili powder (careful, the chili is spicy!). Cook on low heat for about 6-8 hours.
If the beans are old it will take a lot longer to cook. If they look like they aren't softening very much by hour 5, put it on high heat.
I love these beans because they have a really good flavor and there are so many different things you can do with the leftovers- put them in a quesedilla, throw them on a salad, throw them in with leftover rice and corn for a soup, put on tortilla chips with cheese and bake in the oven for amazing nachos. Anyway, they are good and really easy.

Brazilian Cheese Rolls


Brazilian Cheese Rolls

I LOVE these. They are a little taste of "bready" Heaven. This is my favorite recipe. We have tried a few different ones, but always go back to it because it is so quick and simple and delicious. All you do is put the ingredients in a blender and then bake in a muffin tin (I use a mini-muffin tin).
TJ really likes to add a little garlic powder to give it some extra kick. When I made these last night I used sharp cheddar in some and Habanero cheese in the rest. Both were amazing. Once we even used swiss cheese, I liked alright, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Also my cups of cheese are always heaping!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Monday, March 26, 2012

Gluten Free Lasagna

The best gluten free dishes seem to be the ones with a small amount of "bready" stuff. Like lasagna. Here's my moms recipe...
1/2lbs ground beef or sausage
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can stewed, chopped tomatoes
3 cans tomato sauce
Italian seasoning to taste (about 2tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pint sour cream
1 pint cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2-3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan
Lasagna noodles (The Deboles Gluten Free ones are really good).

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large (9x13) glass casserole dish, set aside.
Cook ground beef or sausage until brown and cooked through. Set aside. Sauté garlic and onion until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Put meat in and simmer.
In a medium bowl mix egg, Parmesan, sour cream, cottage cheese and milk.
Layer meat, cheese and noodles. There should be two layers of noodles. The noodles don't need to be precooked. If you like, put some mozzarella on top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let it set up for at least 15 minutes, otherwise it will be soupy when you dish it up.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Mexican-Leftovers Soup

I have a small amount of cornbread left from last night. The worst part about Gluten Free is it is never as good the next day. The cornbread is no exception. Mostly it just dries out a little, not horrible, but enough to make it so you have to eat it with a gravy or soup.
Earlier this week I made slow cooker pinto beans, and Mexican-style rice to have with tacos. We used some of the above leftovers as part of a salad with some chicken to go with the cornbread last night.
I still have beans and rice leftover, so I decided to throw them in a saucepan and make a soup. I also added the extra corn that I didn't use in the cornbread. I added a little Cumin, Coriander, onion powder and garlic salt. And some salsa. I let it warm through. I put a dollop of sour cream and some cheese on top. Serve with cornbread or tortilla chips! So fast, really yummy, and it used up my leftovers!

Gluten Free Cornbread with corn and cheese

I tried this variation of my usual cornbread last night and it turned out amazing!
I recently bought some sorghum flour and decided it should be a staple. I couldn't find it at my local Sprouts or Trader Joes, but it was at Basha's!

3/4cup white rice flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sorghum flour
2T sugar
2&1/2tsp baking powder
3/4tsp salt
1Tbs butter
2 beaten eggs
1cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2-1cup cheese (I used cheddar)
1/2cup frozen sweet corn, or whatever corn you have on hand)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients and set aside.
Melt 1T of butter in 10 inch cast iron skillet. Stir butter to coat.
In a small bowl combine eggs, milk, 1/4cup melted butter (you could melt in the microwave in this bowl before adding the other wet ingredients to save yourself a dish!) Add cheese and corn.
Add the wet to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into hot skillet. Add a little extra cheese on top if you want!
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Gluten Free Cheesey Buffalo Chicken Dip

TJ is master of dips. He can whip up the yummiest dips in no time, including this Cheesey Buffalo Chicken Dip! Since he made it, the measurements aren't exact, but it's very forgiving.

1Tbs sour cream
1/2c velveeta (or generic Wal-Mart brand), diced
1 can chunk chicken
1tsp wing sauce (the kind we used is pictured)

In a sauce pan over medium heat put in sour cream and velveeta. Stir until smooth. Add chicken and sauce. Eat up!

If its too spicy you can easily add more cheese and/or sour cream. If you like more spice, put in more sauce!

I grew up thinking velveeta and any other similar "cheese" was super gross. My mom thinks it is the nastiest stuff in the world. TJ grew up the opposite. I don't mind a little on occasion when TJ makes one of his delicious dips though). If you prefer real cheese, you can definitely use that instead, add it after the sour cream and slowly melt while stirring constantly.

Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles

I really like these Gluten Free noodles. Just use them with your favorite lasagna recipe. I'll be making mine later this week. Lasagna has always been one of TJ's favorite meals. These noodles are so good I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference between these and regular, wheat ones! I got them 2/$6 at Sprouts yesterday. Not super cheap, but not horrible. It's the cheapest I've seen them go, even during Sprouts "Gluten Free Jubilee" it's still the same price.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Love this!

Thank you Basha's for doing at least a little bit to make grocery shopping a little quicker! Fry's does this with some stuff too!
It's amazing how much longer grocery shopping takes. But I'm getting quicker. There is nothing that makes me happier than when I see "gluten free" right on the package or shelf!
My favorite listed "gluten free" things:
Chex (all flavors!)
Tortilla chips (the ones pictured and Doritos-do not get the flavored ones though!)
Guerrero corn tortillas
Quaker rice cakes, chocolate and caramel
Larabars
Skittles!

These kind of things are staples around this house.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Quick and Easy

I used a double boiler for this, but on lower heat it would be just fine in a regular sauce pan.

1& 1/2 t chopped garlic
1& 1/2 t olive oil
1-1/2c chopped artichoke hearts (I used the kind pictured and really liked the flavor it brought to the dip)
2 c roughly chopped fresh spinach (you can also use frozen, just thaw and drain)
1/2c sour cream
1/2 (8oz)package cream cheese
1/2c mozzarella
1/4c Parmesan
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Add artichokes and spinach. Just as spinach begins to wilt and cook down, add cream cheese. When cream cheese is melted down add everything else. Stirring often, cook until everything is melted and well mixed. It should be nice and goey, you know with the cheese all stringy when you pull the chip out of the dip! I also added a little spicy sauce to give it just a little kick. My lovely sister-in-law, Sherawn, compared it to Native New Yorkers Spinach and artichoke dip. Serve with tortilla chips for Gluten Free!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Gluten Free "Schar" Hazelnut Wafers

My mom found this at Walmart in their Gluten Free section. I really like this! They are crisp, light, and full of hazelnut flavor. I will definitely buy this next time I want a special treat, I'd absolutely choose it over a candy bar.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Treatment For Celiac Disease?

We recently found out about a supplement that is supposed to help with Gluten intolerance. It is called "Pure" and has Protease in it. "Prote-" is for protein. (Since Gluten is a protein found in wheat). Anything ending with "-ase" means breaking down. So Protease is an enzyme that breaks the protein down.
The one we have has "lactase" as well as protease so it helps with lactose intolerance as well.
TJ is trying it out now. We figure we've got nothing to loose by trying it! The problem
is it is hard to tell if it is working or not. He takes 2 pills a little while before he eats something that may have gluten. So ideally it would be great to have before eating out. He can't eat a roll or anything but it should help him to not get sick from cross-contamination anymore. You're not supposed to take it too often, like no more than two or three times a week.
I'm excited to see if it works. I'm not holding my breath, mostly because I don't want to get my hopes up. But it would be wonderful if it did work! TJ is always nervous when we eat out, even off the "Gluten Free" menu because he gets at least a little sick most of the time.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Super Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust

This is just like Graham cracker crusts, but using gluten free cookies instead!

My favorite is the Arrowroot cookies by Mi-Del. I've also used "Kinni-Kritters" graham style cookies (pictured) and thought they were good. They definitely have the more familiar "graham" taste.

2/3 to one full bag/box of GF cookies
3/4 stick of butter
1/4 cup sugar
Chocolate (optional)
Pudding mix and cream (or whatever you want in the pie, cheesecake would be delicious!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cookies in ziplock baggy and crush with a rolling pin. *use a freezer baggy and let out almost all of the air* don't bother rolling over, smashing is better.
Place butter in glass pie dish and melt in the microwave (this saves a dish!). Add crumbs and sugar. Mix well.
Pat down to form the crust, making sure to push up around the sides so it has an edge.
Bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch it carefully, no one likes a burned crust!
Prepare pudding mix.
If you want chocolate on the crust , just place chocolate chips (or I used Dove chocolates-very yummy) on the crust as soon as you take it out of the oven. Once the chocolate has melted very gently spread it to coat evenly.
Let the crust cool completely before putting the pudding in.
Put the whole thing in the fridge if it needs to set.
(sorry the pictures are out of order, for some reason blogger won't let me move them around)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Gluten Free Snack Pancakes (with Pecans and apples)

I love having something easy and bread-ish around for Kate to snack on, but I don't like having one more thing to bake. So here is Kate's favorite all-day snack pancakes.
It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it can be thrown together quite fast.

Dry ingredients:
1cup cornmeal
1/3cup sugar
1/3cup Gluten Free Oatmeal
1/4cup rice flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1/8tsp nutmeg
1/8-1/4tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients:
1cup +1/2Tbs milk (like a heaping cup)
2eggs
1Tbs canola oil
1/2tsp vanilla

Extras:
1/4cup chopped pecans
1/2 large or 1 small green apple, diced

Spray then preheat large skillet or griddle (medium-high). Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk wet ingredients together. Add to dry and combine well. Add "extras".

Keep pancakes smaller so they are easier to flip. No bigger than a fist., or 3-4inches. Cook 2-3 minutes on first side and about 1 minute on the second side.

Serve with syrup or eat plain!
Makes about 20 pancakes.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Corn Tortilla Love

We love Mexican food. TJ lived in the heart of Mexico for 2 years while serving a mission for our church. So he knows what's authentic and what's "American-Mexican food"! In fact, he doesn't even think of places like Cafe Rio or Coasta Vida as Mexican at all. (bytheway, Costa Visa IS Gluten Free friendly and Cafe Rio is Not).

Needless to say we eat some form if Mexican at least once a week. Our very favorite corn tortilla brand is definitely Guerrero. This is why...


On the menu for tonight is chicken tostadas. I really like to stick the tortilla in the oven, right on the rack, at about 350 degrees and toast them until they are totally crunchy. It is so much healthier than frying (obviously)! Then throw on the usual toppings meat, beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, cheese, etc. Picture to follow after dinner!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Our Day...

Poor Trey is teething. He is almost 5 months. He is such a sweet, easy-going baby most of the time. So it's been a little more difficult to get stuff done. Luckily, the weather has been so nice today so the girls had a good time outside!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Orange Cream Soufflé Gluten Free!

1-2 single serve Soufflé dishes (mine is about 16oz)
1/2cup orange juice (3-4 oranges)
1/2t orange zest (1 orange)
1&1/2t cornstarch
2 egg whites
1 (tiny) pinch of salt
2T granulated sugar
1/2t vanilla

Optional:
1/2 t almonds
1/2 t powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray soufflé dish(es) with non-stick spray. Put on cookie sheet and set aside.
Grate orange peel. Juice oranges. Put juice and zest in small sauce pan, leaving about 2T juice in bowl. Add cornstarch to bowl and whisk with fork. This will eliminate any clumps. Add to sauce pan, cook over medium heat until mix boils, stirring often. Boil about 30 seconds, just to let the mix thicken. Remove from heat.
Beat egg whites and salt in mixer. Beat high until soft peak forms. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat on high. When stiff peak forms add vanilla and beat just enough to mix it in.
Put 1/4 of egg mix into sauce pan with orange mix and fold gently. Put orange mix into remaining egg mix and fold gently.
Spoon into dish. Sprinkle almonds on top, if desired. (I did half with, half without, next time I will do all with, but I love almonds!)
Bake 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Sprinkle on powdered sugar and serve immediately. Careful, it will be hot!

Tip: you will want to work quickly with the egg mixture so it doesn't deflate!