Melody's Sweet Potatoes

When I was growing up, every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas we had sweet potatoes with brownsugar topped with marshmallows.  And WE LOVED IT!  That is til we grew up.  Then our taste buds were no longer interested in all that sugary sweetness.  For a few years I just opted to not make sweet potatoes for our holiday celebrations.  But then a friend of ours in Laredo, Texas introduced us to a new way of making sweet potatoes.  They were HEAVEN!  Sort of like a Sweet Potato Crisp.  My dad says they are like sweet potato pie. 

The original recipe was drenched in dairy and did have some wheat, which at the time was OK.  However, times have changed warranting additional changes, so that recipe has been altered and tweaked.  I am pretty darn sure, though, that no one would even know there was a difference by either taste or looks if compared to the original recipe!

Sweet Potatoes

Topping

1 cup Chopped Pecans

1 cup Coconut

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Sorghum Flour

1/3 cup Melted Butter

Potatoes

6 cups of Boiled, skinned, mashed sweet potatoes

4 Eggs

1/2 cup Coconut Milk

1/2 cup Rice Milk

1/2 cup Butter

2 tsp Vanilla

1) Boil Sweet potatoes.

2) While potatoes are boiling, make the topping. Pretty easy.  Throw all the dry ingredients in a Medium bowl, mix; add melted butter and mix again.

3) When the potatoes are done boiling, take themout of the liquid, peel, and mashed them. AND they really dont HAVE to be perfectly mashed its your preferrence.

4) Add all the remaining ingredients to the potatoes and mix well.

5) Evenly place all the Potato mixture in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and then evenly distribute the topping over it.

6) Bake 375 for 25 minutes.

Coconut Pecan Pie Crust (substitute for crumb or graham cracker crust)

This pie crust is like a substitute for a graham cracker or crumb style crust.  It started out for me as a nut and butter crust that I used when I would make my pumpkin pie.  However, with each holiday season, I would tweak the previous recipe.  It has gone through many changes and I really love end result of this crust!  It is my favorite pie crust of all of them and great with custard style fillings.  I think I just did my last tweak!

Coconut Pecan Pie Crust

3/4 cup frozen pecans
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch

1/2 cup Coconut

2 TBSP Brown Sugar

3 TBSP Melted butter or crisco

1) In food processor, pulse pecans until largest pieces are the size of split peas.

2) Put the processed pecans in a bowl and add the tapioca starch.  Mix til nuts are evenly coated.
3) Add & incorporate coconut and sugar. Then mix in melted butter

4) Place 'dough' in 9 inch pie pan and press over bottom and sides with your fingers

5) Add your favorite filling and bake according to the filling instructons.  If your filling is no bake, then bake 400 for about 12-14 minutes or til lightly golden. When it is done baking it may be more puffy than you care for, if so, just press it done gently with your fingers or the back of a spoon.

Traditional Flakey Pie Crust

The flakiness comes from two primary ingredients- Water and Butter. Just like these 2 ingredients make the flakiness in traditional baking, they also do in gluten free baking.  For best results butter needs to be soft, room temperature by resting outside of the refrigerator vs microwaving.  If the butter melts, then the water and fat components will combine and you will end up with a hard heavy crust instead of a light and flakey one.  Which brings us to the next important bit of information.  When adding the butter, it is important that you handle the dough just enough to make the fat consistent through out. You don't want the butter fully incorporated as the water is. If the butter melts or is over incorporated, the possibility  of flakiness is gone.

Flakey Pie Crust

1/2 cup Tapioca Starch

1/2 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Sorghum or Coconut Flour

1/4 TSP Xanthan Gum

1 TSP Salt

2 TBSP Sugar

*  *  *  *

1/2 cup Butter, room temp

5 TBSP Cold Water 
*  *  *  *

1 Egg White

1) Grease 9" pyrex pie pan, then place all dry ingredients of list 1 in a bowl and mix them together well.

2) Take cold water mix it into the dry ingredients by pressing into the mix with a fork.  When the mix resembles sand, stop.

3) Drop butter into the mixture by nickle-quarter sized clumps.  Take a pastry dough mixer and cut into the dough until there no longer seems to be any of the water/sandy looking mix left.  You DONT want it to be brought together in a ball.  Might take 1-2 mins.

4) Lay out a sheet of saran wrap or two if one is not wide enough-  and dump the contents of the bowl on it.  With out pressing, spread it to about an 8" circle- cover it in another saran wrap, and gently roll to 11" circle.  If the dough splits, push it together.  The dough is forgiving and will go back together, just be sure to roll only once.

5) Remove top saran wrap and using the bottom saran wrap pick up the circle and lay it over your greased pie pan. Gently press into the pan.  If pieces brake off in transfer, just press back together-  no big deal. Form edge of crust as desired.
6) Bake the crust at 400 for 10 minutes then let it cool fully. 

7) Once the crust is fully cooled, using your fingers or back of a spoon, spread the final egg white over the whole crust and bake again at 400 for 6 minutes. 

8) Use this with any pie filling taking about 15-20 minutes off the baking time, or covering the pie with a tin foil tent for the entire baking time.

For a 2 crust pie follow the same instructions with these amounts:

3/4 cup Tapioca Starch

3/4 cup Rice Flour

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour

1 1/2 TSP Xanthan Gum

1 1/2 TSP Salt

3 TBSP Sugar

*  *  *  *

2/3 cup Cold Butter

1/2 cup (+/- ) Cold Water
*  *  *  *

2 Egg Whites

Follow baking instructions for bottom crust above, then follow baking instructions for pie recipe you are making being sure to coat the top crust with eggwhite. 

Apple Pie

What would Thanksgiving be without Apple Pie?!  My husband for one, would rebel against Thanksgiving if Apple Pie was not on the menu, so Apple is a must in this house.  This is our favorite Apple Pie recipe. Besides the fact that it is not from a can, the best part about this recipe is that every bite is relatively all apple.  It has no gel-like filler and as a result no extra sugar.  As for this recipe, it is pretty darn easy and absolutely worth it!

Apple Pie Filling

4-5 Fuji or Gala Apples

4-5 Granny Smith Apples

*  *  *  *

2/3 to 1 cup Sugar

2 1/2 TBSP Tapioca Starch

1 - 2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Large Pinch Salt

*  *  *  *

Pastry for 2 crust pie

1 TBSP White Sugar

1) Peel and slice apples.  I slice them 1/8 inch or 3-4 millimeters thick. Place them in a large ziplock bag and set aside.  (If you are using a 9 inch dish and like your pie to be just level with the side of the dish, use 8 apples.  If you are using a 9 inch dish and like your pie to be over filled, use all 10 apples.)

2) In a bowl combine the 2nd list of ingredients. If you are using 8 apples and like your pie subtly sweet, use 2/3 cup sugar; if you are using 10 apples and like your pie subtly sweet use 3/4 cups sugar)

3) Pour mixture over the apples in the ziplock bag.  Seal bag and massage mixture til apples are evenly covered.

4) Pour into a glass baking dish and bake 400 til apples are soft and syrup has begun to collect in the dish (about 15-20 minutes).  Then remove pan from oven and pour into uncooked pie pastry and cover with second crust.  Be sure to cut vents in the crust (to let the steam escape and your crust bake) and sprinkle the 1 TBSP white sugar over the top.

5) Bake 400 for about 30-35 minutes or until pie crust looks done.

Pecan Pie

I LOVE the Holidays!  It is a wonderful time filled with meaningful and delicious baking. There is great reason to bake and even better reasons to eat what you bake.  In my mind it is the greatest time of the year for pies. Pies, when done right, are the BEST kind of dessert.  This year the favorite pie was Pecan Pie. I did not really stick to one recipe, but looked over several and then made a twist of them all.  And of course it would not be my kind of pecan pie if I did not use my trademark- Agave Nectar.

I think the most frequent complaint on a Pecan Pie, is that the sweetness is way too sweet. In my opinion, it is a turn off if all I taste is sugar.  Pecan Pie should not be flooded with a taste overwhelmed by sugar, it should be a subtly sweet pie that showcases the pecans, because after all it IS Pecan Pie. . .RIGHT? Corn syrup is very frequently used in combination with sugar as the primary ingredients.  I am not a fan of corn syrup or sugar.   SOO the changes I have made focus on taking away the sugar drenched taste that the typical Pecan Pie boasts, while increasing the Pecans to offset the sweetness.  The end result was a dreamy blissful pecan delight! 

Pecan Pie

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Agave Nectar

1/4 cup Brown Sugar (lightly packed)

2 TBSP Melted Butter

1 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
2 TSP Molasses

1/4 TSP Salt

4 Eggs

*  *  *  *

1 pie crust

Pecan Halves

1) Combine the first ingredients.
2) Pour into unbaked crust.

3) Top filling with enough pecan halves to fully cover.

3) Bake 350 For 40-50 minutes.  Check at 40 minutes and then increase by increments of 5 minutes if not done. You will know it is done when the filling swells to be dome like and when you touch/tap it has firm touch through the center.  As it cools, however, the dome appearance will go away.  In my oven it generally takes 50 minutes, but my oven really does not vent moisture very well, extending the time it takes to bake wetter goods.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite childhood dishes. I LOVED my mom's recipe.  She would make a big pot of it for all 9 of us, and there would never be any leftovers!  I had asked her for the recipe one time, but since she went by taste, it was really hard for her to give me an accurate recipe when I asked her for it.  What I ended up with had way too much sourcream in the sauce and just was not the same.  Even though this recipe is gluten and dairy free, it is the closest I have ever come to duplicating the recipe.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as our family does!

Beef Stroganoff

1 Pound Cubed Stew Meat

*  *  *  *

2 TBSP Butter

1/2 Medium Onion, Chopped

1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped

4 Medium-Large Mushrooms, Chopped

*  *  *  * 

1/2 Stick Butter

2 TBSP Rice Flour

4 TBSP Tapioca Starch

2 Cups Beef Broth

2 TBSP Potato FLOUR

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 1/2 Cups Rice Milk

*  *  *  *

1 Package (16 oz) Flat Wide Noodles, cooked and drained

1/2 - 2/3 cup Non-Dairy Sour Cream (optional)

Salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp to start)

Directions:

1) Crock Pot Stew Meat on high for 3 hours, Lo for 6 hours.  When it is cooked break apart the meat so it is stringy. You can cook the meat on the stove, but I do not recommend it, because it won't fall apart and will be 'tough'.

2) When meat is about ready, using the second list of ingredients: In medium skillet melt butter and sautee onions til soft and lightly brown, then add mushrooms.  After a couple minutes add the fresh chopped parsley. (I usually stick the noodles in their pot about right now) 

3) For this step you really want to make sure that you have all of the 3rd set of ingredients measured out and at your finger tips.  In a large skillet melt butter and then vigorously stir in the rice flour and tapioca starch. Continue stirring vigorously as you slowly add the beef broth making sure no lumps form. Keep stirring the sauce as you add half of the potato flour followed by the milk and then the remaining potato flour and garlic. Stir 'til the mixture has the thickness you like for your Stroganoff adding milk if you need to thin it some. 

4)  At this point you can add the sour cream to the sauce if you choose.  In our family we add sour cream to our plates as we serve ourselves.  There are many benefits to doing it this way; each person can add the amount they want, my husband can use dairy sour cream, and some of our kids prefer no sour cream. We also salt to taste as we serve too, for the same reason. In the end combine the meat, sauce and noodles in one large dish.  We usually use the crock pot, since it is the largest of our already used pots/skillets.

Creamy Cauliflower-Chicken Soup

Creamy Cauliflower-Chicken Soup

2 Medium-Large Chicken Breasts, thawed

3 Cups water for boiling

1/2 stick Butter

*  *  *  *

1/2 Medium Onion, chopped

2 thin long Carrots sliced in thin coins (or 10 baby carrots)

1 stalk Celery, well chopped

1 1/2 heads of Cauliflower, in big bite sized pieces 

1/4 cup Fresh Parsley Chopped

1 quart Chicken Broth

2 cups Rice Milk
Salt to Taste

Pepper to Taste

1/2 cup Non-Dairy Sour Cream (optional)
*  *  *  * 
1 recipe Cream of Chicken Soup

Directions:

1) Place chicken breasts and 3 cups water in a small-medium pot, cover and bring to boil. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE LIQUID WHEN DONE.  You will be adding the water to the final soup.

3) In Large soup pot, melt butter and sautee onions until soft. Then add celery to the pot.  After about 3-4 minutes turn heat to medium-lo and add other vegetables and parsley stirring to combine. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes stirring ocassionally. After 15 minutes add the 1 quart of Chicken Broth and increase the heat to medium.

4) While waiting on the vegetables, in a small pan make 1 recipe of Cream of Chicken Soup

5) When the Cream Cream of Chicken Soup is finished add it and the rice milk to the large pot with vegetables.

6) When the chicken breasts are cooked, set them aside, strain the liquid of particles, and add liquid to the large pot too.

7) Pull a part/shred the chicken breasts in strings.  You can add this to your main pot, or you can just add it to the bowls.  In our family we add the chicken to the kids bowls and my husband and I eat the soup as a vegetable soup. 

8) If you would like to add the sour cream, place it in a small mixing bowl and add about 1 cup of soup to it.  Mix well and then add it back to the pot and mix again.

9) We add the salt and pepper as we serve it, because some of us like more or less salt and pepper than others. If you want to add it to the whole pot at once, start out with about 1 tsp salt and 1/2-1 tsp of pepper.

**TIP:  Younger kids may not like seeing all the vegetables in their bowls.  I have one child like this.  SO what I did was smash/break up the visible Cauliflower in his bowl and he ate it with out a peep.  Pureeing the soup would also be a good easy idea for those little ones too.

Whipped Cream Substitute

This week has been a hard week in homeschooling, getting my kids to do their work has been insane and so I reverted to bribing their bellies.  Pumpkin Pie to be exact.  It is their favorite and I had a fresh pumpkin strait from our garden ready and waiting to be used.  It was also the most perfect opportunity to post this wonderful Whipped Cream recipe since I have been trying to get it posted for quite a while now.  When opportunity knocks. . .TAKE ADVANTAGE!  With the Holidays right around the corner now is a better time than any to post it, so thank my kids!

Non-Dairy Whipped Cream

1 cup Coconut Cream*
*  *  *  *
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 TBSP White Sugar
1/2 TBSP Vanilla Pudding
1/8 tsp Gelatin

The recipe is best in a stand mixer, but if you only have a hand mixer, that will work too.

 

1) Refrigerate Coconut Cream for a few hours or over night.

2) Chill mixing bowl and beaters in Freezer for about 1 hour.

3) Combine 2nd list of ingredients in a small container.

4) With mixer on "Whip" or "Aerate" whip Coconut Cream until stiff (a couple of minutes is likely sufficient) and then sprinkle 1/2 of the dry mix over it and whip it for about 10 seconds then repeat with the last 1/2.

Makes nearly 2 cups.

*If you do not have coconut cream, use coconut milk following the first instruction leaving the can in the refrigerator over night. After opening the can, separate the thick milk from the thinner liquid.  Use the thick part along with 2 TBSP of the thinner liquid for every 3/4 cup of thick milk.

Pozole

For dinner tonight we are having Pozole. Pozole is a Mexican soup that is usually made to celebrate an important event, like Christmas or New Years. So you are probably wondering what are you celebrating?  AND believe me you're not alone.  My husband, who is Mexican, always wonders that when I make it!  Tonight's celebration- How about getting through this week; it was a LOOOOONG week for me, filled with too many appointments!  This is one of my favorite soups and definitely one of my favorite mexican dishes. It is very easy to make and does not take much time and is also great for a tight budget and definitely a Gluten and Dairy free diet.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! 

Pozole

5 Medium-Large Chicken Thighs (skinned, bones in)

4 Large Dried Ancho Chiles, stem removed and seeds dumped out

3 Large Dried Guajillo Chiles (New Mexico or California Chiles will work if you cannot find Guajillo)

3 Medium-Large Cloves of garlic peeled and minced

*  *  *  *

4 cups of Chicken Broth (1-32 oz box of chicken broth)

3 Tsp Oregano

Salt to Taste

*  *  *  *

2 - 29 oz Cans of White Hominy

1/4 head of Iceburg Lettuce, Chopped in Shreds

1 Small White Onion, Finely Chopped

4-6 Limes, Halved

Additional Oregano for garnishing

Raddishes sliced thinly (optional)

1) Place dried destemmed and seeded chiles in the bottom of a large pot, followed by chicken and minced garlic over the top (so the chicken will hold the chiles down, preventing them from floating).  Fill pot with water so that water covers chicken by 1 inch.  Boil until the chicken is cooked through.

2) Remove chicken from broth and set aside.

3) Remove chiles from broth and then one by one remove the flesh from the skin.  It is easiest if you start at the tip of the chile and slowly pinch it toward the stem opening.  It does not matter how you do it, just that somehow you peel the skin off, or else you soup will be gritty. (If you are not particularly fond of spicy hot foods, you may want to keep the Guajillo flesh separate; blender it with a little broth, and add it to your soup like you will the garnishes.)

4) Boil the broth til there is about 5 cups left and skim off excess fat.

5) Take the chicken off the bones and remove fat deposits while you shred the chicken with your fingers.

6) Take a small amount of the broth from the pot and add the chile flesh to it.  Blender it til smooth.

7) Check that there are no bones stray in the broth, then blender the remaing broth and put the broth, chile mixture, and chicken back in the pot.

8) Add second set of ingredients to the pot, bringto a boil, then decrease heat to medium-lo

9) In a separate pot heat up the White Hominy with about 1 cup of water to prevent burning the hominy at the bottom of the pan.

Serve by first placing  heated hominy in bottom of the bowl, then add a scoop of the Chicken and broth, and finally top with the Lettuce, Onion, Radishes and additional Oregano if you choose.  Squeeze some lime juice over the top and enjoy! There is not a Mexican I know who does not top the soup with all of the fixin's including my kids, but I, however, like it with no more than just oregano and lime.

UN-Peanut Butter Cookies

UN-Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour

1/3 cup Tapioca Flour

1/3 cup Rice Flour

2 TBSP Fresh Ground Flax

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

* * * *

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups Sun Butter (sunflower seed butter)

2 eggs

* * * *

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans

3/4 cup Chocolate Chips

1) In large bowl, mix 1st list together.
2) Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the 2nd list to it. Mix til smooth. Then add the 3rd list and mix til just incorporated.
3) Drop by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets, flaten to 1/2 inch using a fork to form the crisscross pattern, and bake 350 for 16-20 minutes. 

Makes about 30-35 cookies

Chocolate Cake Donuts

Even as I write up this entry, my 2 year old son is pointing at the screen wanting one of these delicious babies.  They are good, they are soooooo GOOD!!  If you have seen my other donut post, I did not go into much detail about the process to obtain a successful finished product.  SO in this post I am going to give a series of detailed pictures to let you know how to create them.  

Chocolate Cake Style Donuts

1/3 cup Tapioca

1/3 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Unsweetened Chocolate Powder
1/4 cup Jello Brand Chocolate Pudding 
               sugar and fat free (this one is GFCF)
1/4 cup Sugar 
1 TBSP Potato FLOUR (not starch)
2 tsp Gelatin 
1 tsp Guar Gum
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum 
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder

*  *  *  *  
2 tsp Yeast**

1/2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP Warm Water
*  *  *  *

1/3 cup Melted Butter
1/3 cup Warm Rice Milk 

2 eggs, Room Temperature

1) Combine first list of ingredients (dry ingredients) in a medium mixing bowl and create a well in the middle.

2) Combine second list of ingredients in a small cereal bowl and set aside until it has thickened.

3) Combine last list of ingredients (wet ingredients) in a small mixing bowl.

4) Once yeast mixture has thickened pour wet ingredients and yeast mixture into the well of the dry ingredients. Mix 'til incorporated and then spread dough up the sides of the bowl and let rest for 5-10 mins until the dough stiffens some what (will be tempting to skip this step, but DON'T).  You will notice it become slightly less sticky, though there will still be some stickiness to it. Using a rubber spatula, scrape dough from sides of bowl and pat into a ball.

5) For Donut holes for balls by covering your hands in plastic bags or plastic gloves and rolling dough into 3/4 inch diameter balls placing them on saran wrap as you roll them.  Fry in 375 degree oil for about 10- 15 seconds on each side to start. Start one at a time until you get a hole with the right color and internal done-ness.

6) For donuts: Divide dough into 2 parts and set one aside. Between two sheets of saran wrap sprayed with non-stick spray, roll one part of the dough into a 1/2 inch slab about 3-3.5 inches wide; a narrow strip of dough will be easier to work with. Proceed to use a 3-3.5 inch cookie/biscuit cutter (or cup with a thin lip if you don't have a cutter, I used a Coca Cola cup) to cut the slab into circles and then punch a hole in the middle using a smaller cutter or a spoon (about 1 inch in diameter).  Instead of using flour to prevent stickiness, use saran wrap sprayed with non-stick spray. Flour will cause donuts to be heavy.  It is easiest to transfer dough one circle at a time using saran wrap rather than my fingers or a spatula.  You may find it easier to pat a ball into a 1/2 inch thick 3-3.5 inch diameter circle and then just punch a hole in middle.  

7) In a deep pan, pour 2-3 inches of oil and heat to 375 if you have a thermometer.  For a 3 inch diameter, fry 20-30 seconds on first side and then flip for another 15-20 to start (you may have to adjust your times, so be sure to check the indie of your first donuts til it is right).  For 3.5 inch fry 25-35 seconds on the first side followed by 20-25 on the next to start and likewise, check doness. I always start one at a time until I get the right color on the outside and the right done-ness on the inside twice in a row.  Then 3 or 4 at a time after.

8) Dust in powdered sugar or top with your favorite frosting and sprinkles.

   

Used a Coca Cola cup for the outside circle and rolled out dough between two sheets of saran wrap sprayed with non-stick spray.

 

Transferred donut from saran wrap to a flat surface (you can use a small plate, lid, or spatula) by lifting the saran wrap (placing my hand under the donut) and tiping it onto the surface.  Once on the lid I put the donut in the hot oil by tipping the lid upside down.  Be careful at this stage to make sure you don't get splatered by the hot oil.

Quiche

This recipe is soo overdue!  I have wanted to post it since long before my computer crashed, but with a trip to Little Rock and Tulsa, and lots of well needed summer fun, it just did not happen. This is another of my raves in my desires to increase the amount of vegetables our family eats and also to make sure that none of our garden produce goes to waste. The most wonderful part about this recipe is that nothing is really 'in stone'.  It is soo flexible. Mostly any combination of vegetables and meats will work, so use your imagination! 

When I first thought of Quiche Gluten and Dairy Free, I felt like it was just a danger zone!  I mean Quiche without MILK?? But, really, is it possible to live without a QUICHE??!  I say it is NOT!  And quite honestly, I think I LOVE my recipe more Gluten and Dairy Free than my original recipe!  AND my boys do too!  Even though this recipe is mostly vegetables, they were fighting over the last pieces!  SOO I hope some fellow QUICHE LOVERS stumble upon this recipe and are pleasantly reunited with a fave!! 

The last time I made this, I meant to add 1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil, but I forgot 'til the Quiche was already in the oven.  SO I can't speak for the Basil yet, but I will try it next time and get back to you on it.

Quiche

1 cup Vegetables (Zucchini or mushrooms are my faves!!)

1/4 cup chopped onion (I do green w/ mushrooms or white w/ zucchini)

2 TBSP Butter

* * * *

1 TBSP Tapioca Starch

1 TBSP Rice Flour

1-2 TBSP Butter 
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Rice Milk

* * * *

4 Eggs, Beaten

1/2 cup sliced lunch meat cut in 1 inch pieces (Ham w/ zuchini or Turkey w/ mushrooms)

1/2 cup Shredded Non-Dairy Yellow Cheese (I use Vegan Gourmet)

1/2 cup Better than Sour Cream

1/4 cup Rice Milk

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Dried Minced Garlic

1) List one: Melt butter in skillet and saute veggies til soft.  About 5+ minutes.

2) List two: Act like you are making gravy. Melt butter in a skillet and add Flour/Starch stiring vigorously to prevent clumping.  Add broth continuing to stir to prevent clumps, then add milk still stirring.

3) Set aside while you combine ingredients of 3rd list in a bowl.  Then add #1 and #2 to the bowl and just incorporate.

4) Transfer mixture to a 8-9inch pie shell. (I don't have my crust recipe up yet, but I will be sure to post ASAP)

5) Bake 375 for 30-35 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  Cool 5 mins and ENJOY!!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I appologize for not posting for so long.  My computer was broken and I was without for almost a month. It was a near death experience :o)  I cannot live without a computer!  Lucky school was just around the corner when it broke, or else I may have been without much longer. 

I have had a desire to increase the amount of vegetables our family eats for a while, without the motivation.  With a garden in place, I decided that summer time was the perfect time to do this.  Tonights dish I was not planning on putting on the blog, but it was soo delicious I had to!  I want to be able to remember how I made this accident so I can repeat it!  The picture does not include the 'cheese' topping.

 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

3 Medium Zucchini

1/2 pound Ground Turkey or Beef

1 cup Plain Tomato Sauce

1/2 TSP Onion Powder

1/2 TSP Garlic Powder

1 TSP Garlic and Herb Salt Free Mrs. Dash (Turqoise Lid)

1/4 cup Freshly Chopped Basil Leaves (about 20 medium large leaves)1/4 cup Chopped Pepperoni

3/4 cup Favorite Non Dairy Cheese (I used yellow Vegan Gourmet)

1) Cut the zucchini in half long ways and carve out the insides.  I tried taking out the insides using a knif first, then also with a spoon.  The spoon was much easier.  Using the spoon, I pressed it into the zucchini along the edges first, then starting atthe widest part of the back, I scooped it out. If you accidentally stick your spoon through the bottom or break a side, don't worry about it, it will still work and you won't even notice it when it is done. Set your 'boat' aside and chop the insides to about square centimeter pieces.

2) For the filling. Cook up your ground beef in a skillet and then add the chopped zucchini.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes and then add the DRY spices.  Let cook another couple minutes in the skillet. Then turn off heat and add Basil and Pepperoni.

3) Place your empty Zucchini Boats on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. I sprayed a line for each boat.  Sprinkle salt and pepper in empty boats then fill with the filling and cover in shredded 'cheese'.  Since my husband is not  Dairy Free I used provolone cheese on his and he absolutely LOVED it!!

4) Pre-heat oven to 425 and bake 25 minutes.

Donuts with a side of Holes

 I miss the days of homemade donuts being as fast and simple as a refrigerated tube of Pillsbury dough, but honestly, I should not be complaining, because we still can enjoy donuts.  This was one of the many reasons I created my imitation/substitute Pillsbury Dough (I did modify my original "Pillsbury" recipe to fit fried donuts a bit better).  

Honestly, if you are just starting out on a Gluten Free Diet, your diet will only be as limited as you make it. All things possible with Gluten Filled Flours are possible with Gluten Free Flours; your will and creativity are going to be the primary factors in the possibilities you find in your new found world.  Only YOU construct your limits making them as constricted or non-existent as you would like.  I like to see my experience as a pass to limitless creativity in the kitchen; all boundaries removed, no rules but my own, and I am not constrained to using a list of ingredients someone else has determined as correct.  I. AM. FREE!!!  And I, AM THE BOSS!!!

Oh, I think we were on the subject of donuts.  So you have decided that you wanted a donut and if you are reading this entry, you probably live somewhere, where Gluten Free bakeries do not exist (which is most places).  Well, I promise that these donuts are a good selection for a donut, gluten free life or not.  The texture of these donuts fall between your traditional cake donut and yeast donut.  They are still soft and spongy like a yeast donut, though a bit less airy, yet not as heavy as a cake donut.  While they look more like a cake donut, I think they are closer to the yeast donut than a cake donut. There is also no distinct flavor.  I hope this recipe satisfies you as well as any of the Gluten-Filled homemade donut recipes!  (If youprefer cake donuts, see my tip marked by the * below)

You will be frying these, so you will need a 32 oz bottle of oil.  Don't go using your best olive oil, coconut oil, or even canola oil. It won't be worth it. Use your grocers cheapest oil for these. After all we ARE frying and the process 'fries' any nutrients that was in the oil to the point that there is no nutrition left in the end result.  I have a bottle that I designate as my frying oil and I use it and resuse it for donuts, corndogs, hush puppies, etc. until the color tells me it is due to be thrown away.  After each use I strain the oil as I pour it back into the bottle to remove any of the fried debris and label my bottle 'FRY'. Usually I can use the oil 4-5 times before I need to toss it.

As I was typing this entry I thought it might be a good idea to roll out my slab for donuts and then coat with butter and refrigerate for a half an hour to control the stickiness of the dough.  I will definitely have to try it this way next time we make them, but thought i might put it out on the table if anyone out there may want to try it too.

note: you will need a circle cutter about 3-3.5 inches in diameter and another about 1 inch in diameter.  If you are choosing to make holes instead of donuts, you just need a good pair of hands :o).  If you have an oil thermometer like this, consider yourself lucky; it will come in REALLY handy for these! The thermometer clips to the pan making it really easy to maintain oil temperature consistently about 375.  If not, don't fret, winging it works well too!

Donuts or Holes

1/3 cup Tapioca

1/3 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup Jello Brand Vanilla Pudding 
               sugar and fat free (this one is GFCF)
1/4 cup Sugar
1 TBSP Potato FLOUR (not starch)
2 tsp Gelatin
1 tsp Guar Gum
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder

*  *  *  *  

2 tsp Yeast**
1/2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP Warm Water
*  *  *  *

2 TBSP Butter

2/3 cup Warm Rice Milk *
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil *

2 eggs, Room Temperature

*If you like cake donuts, decrease rice milk to 1/3 cup, OMIT the vegetable oil, and add 1/3 cup melted butter. 

1) Combine first list of ingredients (dry ingredients) in a medium mixing bowl and create a well in the middle.

2) Combine second list of ingredients in a small cereal bowl and set aside until it has thickened.

3) Combine last list of ingredients (wet ingredients) in a small mixing bowl.

4) Once yeast mixture has thickened pour wet ingredients and yeast mixture into the well of the dry ingredients. Mix 'til incorporated and then spread dough up the sides of the bowl and let rest for 5-10 mins until the dough stiffens some what (will be tempting to skip this step, but DON'T).  You will notice it become slightly less sticky, though there will still be some stickiness to it. Using a rubber spatula, scrape dough from sides of bowl and pat into a ball.

5) For Donut holes for balls by covering your hands in plastic bags or plastic gloves and rolling dough into 3/4 inch diameter balls placing them on saran wrap as you roll them.  Fry in 375 degree oil for about 10- 15 seconds on each side to start. Start one at a time until you get a hole with the right color and internal done-ness.

6) For donuts: Divide dough into 2 parts and set one aside. Between two sheets of saran wrap, roll one part of the dough into a 1/2 inch slab about 3-3.5 inches wide; a narrow strip of dough will be easier to work with. Proceed to use a 3-3.5 inch cookie/biscuit cutter (or cup if you don't have a cutter) to cut the slab into circles and then punch a hole in the middle using a smaller cutter about 1 inch in diameter.  Dough will be sticky and will likely stick to the objects. (Try not to use flour to prevent stickiness, as this will cause donuts to be heavy.  You can grease the cutters and/or spray the dough with non-stick spray to lessen the sticking. If you must use flour, use tapioca flour) I find it easiest to transfer dough one circle at a time using saran wrap rather than my fingers or a spatula.  You may find it easier to pat a ball into a 1/2 inch thick 3-3.5 inch diameter circle and then just punch a hole in middle.  

7) In a deep pan, pour 2-3 inches of oil and heat to 375 if you have a thermometer.  For a 3 inch diameter, fry 20-30 seconds on first side and then flip for another 15-20 to start.  For 3.5 inch fry 25-35 seconds on the first side followed by 20-25 on the next to start. I always start one at a time until I get the right color on the outside and the right done-ness on the inside twice in a row.  Then 3 or 4 at a time after.

8) Dust in powdered sugar or top with your favorite frosting and sprinkles.