Stew January 29, 2012

white sweet potato

orange sweet potato

onions

celery

garlic

stew beef

carrots

tomato paste (optional)

sea salt and pepper to taste

I want the broth of stew to be flavorful and thick but it’s hard to find safe beef broth and the gluten-free flours don’t really do a good job of thickening the broth anyway, so I came up with a solution. I cut up sweet potatoes, celery, onion, carrots, and garlic, and boil until tender. Then I throw them in the blender with some water to puree them. Sometimes I add one of the small cans of tomato paste as well. That is the base for the stew. Then I brown stew meat, and throw in cubed white sweet potatoes, and diced carrots. Add water as necessary to adjust the “thickness” of the base. And cook it all in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. Then my kids can’t pick out the onions and celery that they “don’t like” and they get lots of vegetables.  And best of all, my family loves it (except my daughter who can’t have beef!).

Christmas Cookies December 26, 2011

This year I wanted 10 kinds of safe cookies for Christmas. I made Amy’s Awesome Gingerbread cookies, which roll out like a dream, and “normal” people love them too (I’m still checking if there’s a link to include here). I also made chocolate truffles (Enjoy Life chocolate chips melted + a couple tablepoons of Coconut Milk yogurt plus a couple drops of peppermint oil, rolled in corn-free confectioners sugar);  rumballs (recipe said to make safe brownies, let them cool, then mix with rum and shape into balls; I wasn’t that thrilled); fruitcake   – except I substituted brandy for the water; a small sugar cookie with orange zest that I have no idea what the recipe was; candy cane cookies; shortbread cookies; thumbprint cookies; chocolate refrigerator cookies; and I melted some marshmallows and mixed them with gluten-free Rice Krispies, peppermint oil, and Enjoy Life chocolate chips. All kinds but the fruitcake were safe for everyone (my husband couldn’t have it because of the nuts, though I didn’t give it to the kids because of the brandy). And technically the rumballs were safe, but I didn’t give those to the kids either. And I made chocolate cheesecake bars for my husband and my oldest daughter so they could have something “normal” too.

Candy Cane Cookies December 26, 2011

This was one of my favorite Christmas cookies growing up (and my mother usually made lots of different kinds. This year I attempted the gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free version of this Betty Crocker classic.

1/2 c. Earth Balance soy-free margarine

1/2 c. Spectrum palm shortening

1 c. corn-free confectioners sugar (we use Trader Joes brand which uses tapioca starch) 1 “chia egg” (1 Tbs. ground chia seeds + 3 Tbs. water)

2 tsp. safe vanilla extract

1 c. sorghum flour

1 c. rice flour

1/2 c. tapioca starch

2 tsp. karaya gum (Wilton’s Gum-Tex)

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. beet powder

Preheat oven to 375F.  Mix all ingredients except beet powder. Divide dough in half; add beet powder to half. Mix well (add more if you want it pinker). Roll a 4″ strip using about a teaspoon of dough from each of the colors. Then press together and twist like a rope, and arch the top to make candycane shaped.  The first 10-12 worked well for me, then the “white” started coming apart. So the rest were made into balls (half pink, half white, rolled together). Bake for 9-10 minutes. These can be frozen.

 

Thumbprint Cookies December 26, 2011

 

These were by far the favorite Christmas cookie which I made this year. Maybe that’s why I don’t have a picture of them! This is based on a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens “100 Best Cookies” magazine but without the gluten, dairy, and nuts.

1 c. Spectrum palm shortening

2/3 c. beet or cane sugar

1 tsp. safe vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

2 Tbs. water

2 c. all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Pamela’s gluten free bread mix)

1/2 c. safe jam (I used peach)

Drizzle, if desired: corn-free powdered sugar + water, mixed to correct consistency

In  mixing bowl, blend all the ingredients except the jam (and the drizzle). Chill for an hour in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350F. Shape dough into 1″ ball. Place on ungreased insulated baking sheet, and press down on it with your thumb to make indent. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of the jam. Repeat until your cookie sheet is full. Bake for 12 minutes. Drizzle with confectioners sugar mixed with water. These may be frozen.

Mexican Chocolate Refrigerator Cookies December 26, 2011

Another de-allergenized version of a Better Homes & Gardens “100 Best Cookies”. My kids didn’t actually like this one, but my husband did!

3/4 c. Earth Balance soy-free margarine

1 c. beet or cane sugar

3/4 c. cocoa

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbs. ground chia + 3 Tbs. water (mixed to form “chia egg”)

1 1/2 tsp. safe vanilla

1 c. sorghum flour

1/4 c. brown rice flour

1 tsp. karaya gum (Wilton’s Gum-Tex)

Mix all ingredients. Roll into log in plastic wrap. Chill for about two hours in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 325F. Remove from refrigerator and unwrap. Slice into 1/4″ slices and place 2″ apart onto ungreased insulated baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. These can be frozen.

Shortbread Cookies December 26, 2011

I got a Better Homes & Gardens “100 Best Cookies” magazine and then marked which ones I thought I could de-allergen-ize … here’s a shortbread cookie.

2 c. Pamela’s gluten-free bread mix

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 c. Spectrum palm shortening

1/3 c. powdered sugar (we use Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, which doesn’t have cornstarch)

1 1/2 tsp. gluten-free corn-free vanilla

1 tsp. lime zest

1/2 tsp. corn-free baking powder

2 Tbs. water

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Chill for about an hour in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out on cutting board dusted with tapioca starch (or other safe flour) to about 1/4″ thickness. Cut out in shapes (I used a scalloped circle). Place 2″ apart on ungreased insulated cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes. These can be frozen.

I thought about drizzling them with melted Enjoy Life chocolate chips, but I never got around to it.

Spritz Cookie (for Cookie Press) December 26, 2011

I have a cookie press that has sat unused for three years.  This was the year I was going to try to make safe Christmas cookies. Ten kinds, in fact. Because everyone needs a goal.  So I took the recipe that came with the cookie press, and de-egged, de-dairied, de-glutenized the recipe. My son reacts to food colorings so to make the trees greenish, I added lime zest (it didn’t make them green, but it gave it an interesting flavor. The pink flowers are colored with beet powder. And they both have sprinkles that are from India Tree Natural Line that are naturally colored.

1/2 c. Earth Balance soy-free margarine

1/2 c. Spectrum palm shortening

3/4 c. beet or cane sugar

1 Tbs. ground chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbs. water

2 tsp. corn-free/gluten-free vanilla

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 c. tapioca starch

3/4 c. brown rice flour

1 c. sorghum flour

2 tsp. karaya gum (Wilton’s Gum-Tex)

1/2 tsp. coconut milk (or water)

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients together. If making two shapes of cookies, divide dough in half before adding flavoring or coloring. I added the zest of one lime to the tree shaped ones. And about a teaspoon of beet powder to the pink flower shaped ones. Bake on ungreased insulated cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. These can be frozen (I put parchment in between the layers).

Poppyseed Strudel December 26, 2011

I wanted coffeecake for Christmas morning. My husband’s family tradition is called Peach Flip (but made with apricots) and I tried to duplicate that last year, and I wasn’t thrilled (not that I let it stop me from eating it all). But my favorite pastry by far, from my youth, was the poppyseed danish.

 

 

3 1/2 c. gluten-free flour mix (I used Pamela’s gluten-free bread mix, which includes xanthan gum)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 tsp. yeast

1 c. coconut milk (warm)

4 Tbs. Earth Balance soy-free margarine

1 “chia egg” (1 Tbs. ground chia mixed with 3 Tbs. water)

Mix all ingredients together in stand mixer, for about 3 minutes. Divide dough into two parts. Roll out one into a rectangle, about 1/4″ thick. I spread canned poppyseed filling that was safe for us onto it. Rolled it up, and placed it seam-side down on a cookie sheet. Then for the other one, I rolled it out, spread it with some more of the Earth Balance soy-free margarine, and then sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar, and rolled that one up, and put it seam-side down on the cookie sheet. I let them rise for about 45 minutes, but nothing happened. So I baked it in a preheated 350F oven for 45 minutes. My kids ate the cinnamon-sugar one, and I ate the poppyseed filled one. I was going to glaze it with some confectioners sugar-coconut milk icing, but I never got around to it.

Chicken Blah Blah Blah November 11, 2011

My kids call both Chicken Mirabella and Chicken Marsala “Chicken Blah Blah.” One night when my youngest had a stomachache (so I was laying in bed next to her contemplating the next night’s dinner), I thought about using a Good Seasons salad dressing packet as the seasoning for a chicken dish. I found two recipes on the internet using the dressing packet, one which used cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup (not happening in this household) and one that just used white wine (which seemed a little boring). So I concocted this recipe, and my two youngest had 4 helpings each that night for dinner.

2 1/2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

5 oz. mushrooms, quartered

1/2 bag of frozen string beans (about 2 cups)

1 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. white wine

2 Tbs. palm shortening

1 Tbs. rice flour

1/2 Tbs. tapioca starch

1/2 Tbs. chickpea flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

pinch of black pepper

1 c. unsweetened/plain coconut milk (I used So Delicious)

Place the chicken, contents of the seasoning packet (contains corn, for you corn avoiders), mushrooms, string beans, chicken broth, and white wine in a crockpot/slow cooker.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the palm shortening. Add the rice flour, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, salt & pepper and stir until bubbly. Add the coconut milk a little at a time, stirring to make a cream sauce. When all coconut milk is incorporated, remove from heat, and pour onto chicken and veggies in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. I served it over rice.

English Muffins July 31, 2011

I missed having English muffins for breakfast. They’re the perfect size for hamburger buns too.

1 1/2 c. light buckwheat flour

1/2 tsp. instant yeast

1 c. water

—–

1/4 c. ground flax

2 Tbs. agave syrup or honey

3 tsp. instant yeast

2 Tbs. tapioca starch

2 tsp. corn-free baking powder

3/4 c. rice or coconut milk

2 Tbs. canola or olive oil

1 tsp. sea salt

3/4 c. fine rice flour

3/4 c. sorghum flour

2 tsp. karaya gum

Mix the first 3 ingredients. Let rise for 2-4 hours. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Let rise for 1 hour. Cut into English muffin shapes with an English Muffin ring (3 3/4″ diameter); use tapioca starch to dust the cutting board. Let rise 1 hour. Dry fry on fry pan preheated to medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes on one side; flip and cook 5 minutes on the other side. Cool on rack. Makes 8.