Pizza Crust Mix

I have always been pretty dead set against making mixes of flours.  However, we have not changed flours for at least 5 years now.  We also have several recipes that we regularly use.  SO, in addition to my Pancake Mix, I am now making a mix for the pizza dough.  We use it for pizza every other Friday and for hamburger buns on the off Fridays. Used enough to justify making a mix.  This amount of mix will make about 15 pizzas.

Pizza Crust

12 cup Rice Flour

6 cups Sorghum Flour

6 cups Tapioca Flour

6 cups Amaranth Flour

3/4 cup Gelatin

1/2 cup + 2 TBSP Guar Gum

4 TBSP Granulated Onion
2 TBSP Granulated Garlic

1/2 cup Italian Blend seasoning

4 TBSP tsp Baking Soda

2 TBSP Cream of Tartar

4 TBSP Salt

 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl or bucket.  I use a 3 gallon bucket to mix in and then transfer it to a container that is about 2.5 gallons. But just as easily you could store it in the same bucket, it just makes it easier to make sure it is thoroughly mixed if you are transferring the mix.  I don't worry about how the ingredients, but I do mix together after every 2 or 3 additions.  Then give it a good mix together at the end.

To use the Mix:

2 cups Mix

2 TBSP Fresh Ground Flax

1  TBSP Oil

1/4 cup Egg Whites or 2 eggs

1.5 cups water

* * * *

OPTIONAL

2 tsp Yeast

2 TBSP Warm Water

1 TBSP Sugar

1) If you are going to use the yeast option, mix last 3 ingredients together first and set aside while you mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl and create a well in it too add the wet ingredients in.  DO NOT add dry wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until the yeast mixture is ready to use (if you are using the option).  

2) Add the wet ingredients give it a QUICK mix (I actually put all ingredients into my Ninja and blend it on the dough option for 30 seconds). 

3) Pour into a 16 in pizza pan.   

4) Bake 350 for 23. minutes.

Chicken Alfredo w/ Coconut Milk Sauce

This was, in the words of my 9 year old, so "yummy and delicious" that I had to put it up without a picture.  My intentions for the dish was no more than dinner tonight, no blog post was in the order, so I came out without a picture.  But I will post one next time I make it.

 Chicken Alfredo

 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon tapioca flour
19 oz Mae Ploy Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
*  *  *  *

5 Medium Chicken breasts, seared in skillet and sliced thin

12 ounces noodles, cooked
Freshly ground pepper
1) Melt butter in skillet and add minced garlic and lemon zest. Cook til garlic is soft.

2) Add tapioca flour and stir til incorporated then add coconut milk, salt, and onion powder. Cook til mixture thickens.

3) Turn off heat and add fresh chopped parsley, and pepper to taste.

Serve by plating noodles and spooning sauce over noodles and laying chicken slices over the sauce.  If there are Dairy Lovers in the house, parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top would fit nicely.

Lime-Basil Chicken Salad with Avocado

I have not posted onthe blog for so long, it is about time I put something on it again! I made this Salad tonight and it was so delicious I really had to take note of it and share it with everyone!

Lime-Basil Chicken Salad with Avocado

4 Boiled Chicken Breasts, Medium sized, chopped or shredded

2 TBSP Fresh Parsley, Chopped

25 Leaves Fresh Basil, Chopped

1 Medium-Large Shallot, Chopped
1 Large Rib Celery, Chopped

2/3 cup Pecans, Chopped

Juice of 2 Limes

2/3 cup Mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to taste

*  *  *  * 

1-2 Avocadoes, Diced

1) Mix all the first ingredients together adding mayonnaise to your likings if necessary.

2) Add in the diced avocado and mix just to combine.

3) Serve with your favorite cracker or chips. We like using Hazel Nut Thins and, I reluctantly admit, that some of us prefer potato chips :).................Happy Eating!

Chicken Nuggets OR Boneless Buffalo Wings

While sitting in a Doctors Office a few years ago I was a reading a child's magazine with one of my kids and saw a recipe for Chicken Nuggets. Seeing the nuggets on the page just gave me a challenge- Made me say there has got to be a way to not only get the bread to successfully stick to the nuggets, but also make the texture of the bread resemble the texture of 'normal' nuggets.  Out of that Doctors visit comes these, highly successful, and very yummy OVEN BAKED and chicken nuggets. They are even friendly enough that your children can help make them.  

Just a tip, this recipe will be much easier if you keep pre-packaged (bagged) mixes of my pizza crust on hand.  If so, you will need 2/3 cup of the mix instead of the first section of the 'Bread' recipe.

Chicken Nuggets

 

2-3 Large Chicken breast cut into 2 x 3/4 inch strips 

For the Bread:

1/3 cup Rice Flour

1/4 cup Tapioca Flour

3 TBSP Sorghum Flour

1 TBSP Ground Flax

1 tsp Gelatin

1 tsp Guar Gum

1/4 tsp Granulated Onion
1/4 tsp Granulated Garlic

1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning (McCormick)

Pinch Oregano (rubbed in the palms of your hands 

                              first if you can't find rubbed oregano)

1/4 tsp Parsley

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 TSP Cream of Tartar

*  *  *  *

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Rice Milk

*  *  *  *

2 1/2 cups Corn Flakes, Crushed (or any other kind of flakes)

1) Get 3 bowls or shallow dishes like pie pans or cake pans

2) In the first bowl put the first list of ingredients.  This is actually a reduced portion of the dry ingredients of my Pizza Crust Recipe - I actually keep pre-bagged pizza mixes on hand so I can use it when I need it. If you decide to premake mixes like this, you will need about 2/3 cup of the mix.  It is much easier this way.

3) In the second dish, put the eggs and the rice milk and beat with a fork for a minute.

4) In the final dish put the crushed corn flakes.
5) Take a few of the chicken pieces and gently move them around in the pizza flour mixture and then dredge in the egg mix and finally in the corn flakes. Repeat the process til all the chicken is breaded.

6) As you finish pieces, place them on a greased baking sheet.  When you fill the sheet spray nuggets liberally with non-stick spray.

7) Bake at 450 for 10 minutes then flip the nuggets, spray the other side liberally with non-stick spray and then return them to the oven for 10 more minutes.

As dips or flavorings for these, you can use salad dressing or ketchup, OR you can toss them with Buffalo Wing Sauce.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gnocchi

If there is one thing I swear by in order for any change in diet to be successful, you must have access to like replacements of the foods you once enjoyed with equivalent flavor and texture.  The sacrifice must be kept to a minimum for success.  That is my goal with everything I place on this blog.  This post is one of those rare ones.  One of those ones that not only meats my goal, but takes it to the next level and puts the traditional equivalent to shame.  Perhaps I am cocky, or perhaps my belief is stemmed in the fact that I have never tasted the Italian real deal.  There is only so much that a store bought prepackaged product can offer and had I made my own Gnocchi in the days of Gluten gluttony, I am sure the end result would also have superseded the prepackaged store bought version. What a pleasant surprise this was!!  Sure to attract the attention of ALL gnocchi lovers regardless of dietary displacement.

For those of you not familiar with Gnocchi, it is like a cross of a noodle and a dumpling and can replace noodles in many dishes.  We like eating our Gnocchi with giant meatballs and seasoned tomato sauce.  I think these would be great in a chicken soup or a hearty stew too.

Gnocchi

4 small - medium or 2 large potatoes

*  *  *  *

2/3 cup Tapioca Starch

1/3 cup Rice Flour

2 TBSP Fresh Ground Flax

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Salt, Scant

1/2 tsp Italian Seasonings (oregano, basil, thyme, sage)

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder, Scant

1/2 tsp Onion Powder, Scant

*  *  *  *

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1) Bake the potatoes.  I do mine wrapped in foil in the crock pot on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. No liquid added.  (I recommend doing this the morning or night before.)

2) After baking them, let cool 'til you can touch them comfortably; peel and grate them using a small sized cheese grater.  Grate them into a medium sized bowl.

3) Mix 2nd group of ingredients in a small bowl.

4) Spread the shredded potato out (still in its bowl) and put half of the flour mixture on it.  Cut the flour into the potatoes til the grated potato appears to be coated in the flour. 

5) Add the eggs.  Use a rubber scraper to combine into the potato and flour mixture.

6) Add and incorporate enough flour to just dull the stickiness, but not completely take it away.  You should have about 1/3 cup left.

7) Leaving the dough in the bowl sprinkle some of the remaining flour over the dough and cut dough into handfuls.
8) Using the same flour, dust a cutting board and your hands generously.  Grab a handful of dough and roll into ropes of about 3/4 inch diameter. you should have enough flour on your hands and the dough that the dough does not stick to hands or cutting board.

9) Cut the rope into 3/4 inch pieces and roll/press down the tines of a fork.  Set aside as you finish each. (Since Gnocchi floats when it is cooked through, uniformity is not really important except for attention to detail.)

10) When the Gnocchi is formed place a handful in boiling water until the Gnocchi floats.  I keep it in the boiling water til it has been floating about 15 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a greased colander. Toss with oil in a bowl after they have drained in the colander sufficiently, to prevent sticking.

11) Use as desired; you can freeze leftover Gnocchi.  I don't recommend freezing it with any sauce.

You may be tempted to skip pressing the Gnocchi down the tines of a fork, but don't skip it.  The ridges that the fork forms holds the sauce on the Gnocchi thus adding to the flavor.

Chicken Dumpling Soup - Cheater Style!!

Today was a ridiculously crazy day.  My little monster who flooded my bathroom yesterday just so happened to unintentionally swallow his hearing aid battery when he was knocked on his back by his sibling in a race to the open fridge.  SO we found ourselves scrambling off to an X-Ray appointment about 2:30 and I knew that tonight's dinner ideas were going to be toast - almost literally.  Chicken Dumpling Soup with my inventive cheating methods was just an attempt to place a meal more decent than that on tonight's dinner table, but the end result was beyond my wildest intentions!

If you have never made a dumpling soup, it is a little tricky.  I'm talking even using the normal white flour (wheat), it's not all that easy to accomplish.  I tried Gluten Free Chicken Dumpling Soup one other time and it felt like it would be impossible to accomplish with Gluten Free ingredients, because the dough just dissembles into nothingness once it hits the boiling liquid.  SO today I implemented my Cheater Style and it not only worked, but the taste was of utter awesomeness!!  Its outcome caught me by such surprise that I did not even snap a picture of it prior to serving, hence no picture.  I was also rushing out the door so quickly after downing my bowl, that I did not even get to see the kids' reaction when they tasted theirs.  However, when I returned an hour and a half later, every single one of them and my not so gluten-free-thrilled husband came and told me how much they loved it! A definite hit!! The recipe was so excellent that it will definitely be made again at which time I will surely snap a quick pic and update the entry.

Chicken Dumpling Soup

Soup

3 Small-Medium Chicken Breasts Diced in 3/4 inch cubes

2 Small Carrots chopped in thinly sliced coins

2 Celery Ribs, average sized, sliced in 1/4 inch slices

2 TBSP Dried Onion Flakes

About 6 cups of water

* * * *

32 oz Box Chicken Broth

3/4 - 1 tsp Salt (or to taste)

1/8 -1/4 tsp Pepper 

1/4 - 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

 

Dumplings

1 cup Gluten Free Bisquick pancake/biscuit mix

1/3 cup Shortening 

* * * *

1 egg + 1 egg white

1/4 cup Rice Milk

1) Place first list of soup ingredients in a pot, cover, and bring to boil. Turn down as needed to prevent spillage. 

2) Now keep your eye on the soup, but direct your attention to the dumplings.

3) In a small mixing bowl, cut the shortening into the biscuit mix to pea sized (just as box instructs)

4) Add 2nd list of Dumpling ingredients and mix well.

5) Using a spoon drop dough onto cookie sheets in drops just bigger than 1/2 tsp.

6) Bake 375 for 8 -10 minutes til the bottoms are just golden; once you put them in the oven and set the timer, return back to working on the pot of soup on the stove.

7) Add 2nd list of soup ingredients to the pot and bring to boil again, then turn off stove.

8) Serve by placing dumplings in bowl as the soup is served.

Serves 2 Adults and 4 kids OR 4 Adults.

Mock-aroni and Cheese

This week end we went out for brunch after a strenuous bike ride.  I had a garden omlette with Hollandaise sauce.  Don't ask me how macaroni got on my mind.  Maybe it was because I had been promising the kids I would make it for them for about a week, but still had not yet complied.  As I ate the omlette, I was taken by the creaminess of the sauce and its natural yellowness with a sheen as the light hit it.  Usually when I make Hollandaise sauce it is over Asparagus or Broccoli, but over noodles?  I had never even thought to use it over eggs!

The first time I had Macaroni and cheese in the non-dairy world, I remember walking away feeling like I had not yet eaten.  I felt starved, like there was a bottomless pit at the bottom of my stomach.  I walked away from the commercial versions out there and started to make my own.  Slowly that pit was going away as I added fats to the recipe.  Finally it was gone when I added the cream cheese substitute and butternut squash.  The only problem with the cream cheese substitute was it did have soy in it, so we had to limit our intake and use it sparingly meaning we could not have it very often.  The great part of this one is that it has egg yolk in it which is actually a good source of Protein and will be 'filling'. Though non-dairy cream cheese does have a good flavor, you really don't need it, but could choose to use it if you want.  So my kids can enjoy mac and Cheese a lot more often now!  For those of you who have an egg allergy, the other Mac and Cheese recipe will better suit you.

So, tonight, I set off to accomplish macaroni for my kids using a method far different from my previous methods.  This macaroni is great in every sense of the word!!  It has the texture, look, and flavor of macaroni.  It looks like macaroni on day one and looks like it a day old too. . . not that it will last that long : )  

Mock-aroni and Cheese

 

4 egg yolks

1 TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (or vinegar)

1/2 cup unsalted butter,  melted (1 stick)

1) Bring a pot of water to a boil as you whisk egg yolks, melted butter, and lemon juice together with a fork in a metal bowl.  

2) Over the pot of water continue whisking briskly with a fork until mixture thickens. Be careful not to let the mixture go up the sides or sit, because the yolks will scramble.

3) Remove from heat, set aside (still in the metal bowl) and add your uncooked macaroni elbows (about 12 oz) to the already boiling water.

 

Then:

1 1/2 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP Cornstarch

1  cup Rice Milk 

  

4) Melt butter in a pan over the stove and then add the cornstarch and stir feverishly so no lumps can form.

5) After well mixed, add milk and stir constantly til it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat and add to the 1st mixture in the Metal bowl.

Then add:

3/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp White Pepper (you can use black if you don't mind the specks)

1/4 tsp Ground Anatto Seed (for color only; you can find this in the spice section)

You don't have to, but I recommend adding 1/4 cup pumpkin or butternut squash puree.  Mix well and pour over cooked noodles.  Serves about 5 average 6-10 year old kids.

Pizza Crust Mixes

I'm still working on building my supply of mixes, so last night I put together some pizza crust mixes.  I'm trying to cut back on the time it takes me to prepare meals and make it so we always have something fast and easy (yet descent) to eat on hand.  I am hoping by doing this, we will never be in a situation where we have to jump ship and go out to eat at the last minute before a soccer game or Speech Therapy, both of which happen 2-4 times a week each!  No better time to prepare for this than Spring Break!  Hopefully all of my work will last until summer time, because that will be my next break.

Many of you already know that I have another pizza crust, but this one is a different one; slightly thicker than the other one, uses amaranth & flax (for added nutrition), and also does not need yeast, though you could add it. Each time someone would try my first recipe, they would comment to me that it tasted like Namaste and I would be clueless as to what they were talking about.  What IS Namaste, and what does it taste like, why do people think my pizza is like it and WHY is Namaste so much better than all the rest I also have not tried??  SO this is intentionally an imitation of Namaste rather than a stumble upon creation including  the qualities I felt were important in a pizza crust.  I wanted to taste what Namaste was about with out paying the $6-7 to try it; especially being capable and knowledgeable enough to make it myself.  I'm sorry, is that is a little haughty and over the top?? Totally uncalled for!  OK, I'll take it back; forget I said it : )  

The other recipe is a good thick crust for 2 smaller cake-sized pans (personal pizzas for 8-10 year old boys), while more of a thin crust for the 13-16 inch pans.  This recipe is intended to be a true deep dish/thick crust for a large 13-16 inch pizza and we now have enough boys of sufficient appetite to easily down a large pizza (or two) without flinching.  It also gave me the opportunity to use my new found nutrient dense Amaranth :)  I am always up for a good excuse to create in the kitchen!!

I made my mixes by getting 10 containers that could carry about 3 cups of ingredients.  I placed them all on a cookie tray so that I could work in assembly line fashion and add each ingredient to every container 1 at a time; rather than creating one full mix at a time and then starting then next.  It takes about 1 hour to make 10 mixes this way.  After getting all of the dry ingredients together, mix the contents of each container.  Pour each containers contents into a quart sized ziploc bag.  Label the bag with the name of the mix and the wet ingredients that need to be added along with the baking instructions.  Another option would be to place all the bagged pizza mixes into one larger container and label the container with that information (this way you write down the info 1 time vs 10 and it makes it easier to reuse bags for mixes other than pizza mixes)

Pizza Crust

1 cup Rice Flour

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

1/2 cup Amaranth Flour

2 TBSP Ground Flax

3 tsp Gelatin

2 1/2 tsp Guar Gum

1 tsp Granulated Onion
1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic

1 tsp Poultry Seasoning (McCormick)

1/2 tsp Oregano (rubbed in the palms of your hands 

                              first if you can't find rubbed oregano)

1/2 tsp Parsley**

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ascorbic Acid

* * * *

1 1/2 TBSP Oil

1/4 cup Egg Whites (abt 2)*

3/4 cup or 2 cups water depending on if you like to roll your dough or pour your dough

* * * *

OPTIONAL

2 tsp Yeast

2 TBSP Warm Water

1 TBSP Sugar

*If you are allergic to eggs, use water.
** The red ingredients can be subbed for 2 tsp Italian Blend, which are the exact same ingredient, but in one bottle.  I just don't have this in my cabinet, but I need to get it.

Instructions for use:

Put contents of mix in a bowl and pour wet ingredients over the top.  If you are using the mix for the first time, you may want to measure out the full amount of water and add little by little til you get the consistency you like.  If you want to roll out the dough or pat it out using your fingers, use closer to 3/4 cups of water.  If you like to pour out the dough into the pizza pan, then use closer to the 2 cups water.  Take note of the amount you used for future uses.  I like adding 3/4 cups along with the yeast option.


You can make 3- 8 to 9 inch personal pizzas with cake/pie pan
                     or 1 - 14 inch pizza crust 

If you like to roll out your dough, spray non-stick spray in your pizza pan and place the ball of dough in the pan.  Take a sheet of saran wrap and lay it over the ball press it flat with your hands, then use a rolling pin to roll it out as desired or you could choose to continue patting it to the edges of the pan using your finger tips with the saran wrap still over the dough.

Bake 400 for 10 minutes on the lower rack of the oven, then move it to the middle rack and bake another 5-10 minutes.  For a tougher crust, keep a spray bottle handy and spray it with water after 5 minutes and again after 10 minutes total bake time.  At 15 minutes of total baking time, brush with oil and let bake at least a couple minutes longer.  If you don't care for your crust to be tough, then only do the oiling at 15 minutes. When the crust is ready (toothpick comes out clean)  remove from oven.  At this point you can freeze it (them) in a ziploc bag or use it.  Thaw before use.  (If you have only one gluten free individual in the family you can choose to make the personal pizzas and freeze 2 for later uses.)

To use it brush already baked crust with oil again (do not omit that step or it will be a mushy mess of a pizza), and top with sauce and toppings.  If you are using a cheese that requires a high temperature to melt (like Vegan Gourmet), turn the oven up to 450 and bake til the cheese is melted (about 13 minutes).  If you are using something like Daiya (not recommended for pizza) or regular cheese bake til the meats look done (about 7 minutes).

Below is how the crust looks.  The darkness comes from my using Dark Flax seed.  If you use Golden Flax the appearance will be pale.

 

                 Fresh Baked  

          Oiled before sauce is on