Almost Graham Cracker Crust (a gluten free pie crust) February 28, 2010

This is a very good alternative to a traditional graham cracker crust. You have to make the Almost Graham Crackers and create crumbs. The easiest way to do this is to throw the crackers in a food processor, but you could also place them in a resealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling-pin; kids particularly enjoy the rolling-pin choice. The crumbs freeze really well, so I recommend making a large batch at once and throwing them in a freezer bag until needed. Traditional graham cracker crusts call for 5 Tb melted butter, but I have found that less butter is really required. It’s a personal taste issue, so don’t stress if your butter isn’t measured perfectly, as long as there are a few tablespoons, the crust should hold together fine. I also prefer to just mix the crust directly into the pan I am using, why dirty another dish?

Pie crust, before being baked

Almost Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/4 cups almost graham cracker crumbs
• 3-5 Tb butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Using a fork combine crumbs and butter directly in the pie plate of spring form pan.
3. Using a small measuring cup or you hands, press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate; if using a spring form pan I prefer to just press the crust into the bottom, but you could go up the sides if you prefer.
4. . Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, the crust will be fragrant and slightly browned.

Gluten Free Apple Muffins With Crumb Topping February 27, 2010

Muffins are so practical. They are great for a quick breakfast, snack or even dessert. I have tried more than a few gluten free muffin recipes, but the end products have had an off-texture and usually do not rise above the paper liner. However, I have successfully adapted many of our old favorites, producing gluten free versions that are very similar to the originals. If you have a reliable gluten-filled favorite muffin or cupcake recipe, you can probably just make a few minor changes and be enjoying muffins again in no time.

The first thing you need is a good gluten free flour blend, I have a favorite, but use whatever one you like. I try to stay away from the bean based flour blends in general, I find they leave my baked goods tasting like beans. Also, it helps to use a fruit or vegetable based muffin, this adds moisture; think apple, carrot, pumpkin, etc. And lastly, adding yogurt or sour cream helps the texture tremendously; if you don’t eat dairy, try adding some applesauce. I like to add flax meal to make them more nutritious, but this is completely optional.

Here is one of my family’s favorite muffin recipe. I think the kids are particularly fond of this muffin due to the sweet, slightly crunchy topping. For variety, I occasionally add raisins to the batter (we have a tree nut allergy in our house, so we can’t do walnuts, but I think they would be delicious in these).

Gluten Free Apple Muffins

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• dash salt
• 2 cups gluten free flour blend
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tb flax meal, optional
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (you could also use sour cream)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 cups diced apples
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or raisins, optional

Crumb Topping (tasty, but optional)

• 1/4 cup sugar (brown or white will work)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tb gluten free flour blend
• 2 Tb butter, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add eggs, one at a time.
3. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with yogurt and applesauce. Mix until incorporated. Fold in apples and nuts or raisins if using.
4. In a small bowl, combine crumb toppings and blend with fork. Mixture will be lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups 3/4 full. Lightly sprinkle tops with crumb topping.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until center tests done.

Chicken Caesar Salad February 26, 2010

We eat a lot of salads at our house.  They make a great lunch or side, add a little meat and you have a healthy dinner in no time.  Have you read the labels on most supermarket salad dressings? They are FULL of ingredients. One way to make your salads healthier, and yes, more flavorful, is to make your own dressing. This doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Salad dressing is really an easy and quick thing to make. Making your own also ensures that the ingredients you put in it are safe and allergen free for your family.

One word of caution though, my whole family enjoyed Caesar salad until one day when my husband saw me make the dressing, with anchovies. How could I? He was aghast. He HATES all things seafood. For years, literally, I have seen him eat Caesar salads at restaurants, but now that he knows one of the key components is anchovies he makes a funny face and thinks twice before eating. So if you have seafood hater in your house, you may want to prepare the Caesar salad dressing when they aren’t home and get rid of the evidence.

When making Caesar dressing, make sure to use fresh lemon juice and avoid the Parmesan cheese that comes in that green can, buy the real stuff. It will be more expensive, but if wrapped tightly it lasts a really long time in the refrigerator. I have used whole anchovies in the can and anchovy paste, and I think either is acceptable. We are completely gluten free, so we just skip to croutons, it hardly seems worth the trouble to make them.

The seasoning for the chicken comes from a Webber cookbook and the dressing is from Cook’s Illustrated. This is the first Caesar Salad dressing recipe I have seen that doesn’t call for a raw egg; I avoid serving raw eggs, so I was especially happy to come across it, and best of all, it tastes great.

Real Parmesan Cheese

Chicken Caesar Salad

Chicken Caesar Salad

• 1 head of Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
• Parmesan Cheese, grated
• chicken, recipe follows
• dressing, recipe follows

Paste for Chicken:

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves

1. In a small bowl, mix the oil, mustard, chili powder, salt and pepper. Spread paste over chicken. Grill the chicken over direct medium heat until the meat is firm to the touch and no longer pink (about 8-12 minutes), turning once. (I make sure meat is done by using a meat thermometer). Cut into bite-size pieces.

Salad Dressing:

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 Tb fresh lemon juice
• 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp peppers
• 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Blend all the dressing ingredients except oil, in a blender or food processor (I use a mini-food processor) on high until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed, about 30 seconds. With the motor running, add the oil in a steady stream.
2. Place lettuce and chicken in bowls, top with dressing. Add additional pepper and Parmesan if desired.
   

Cuban Pork Roast February 25, 2010

It is unusual for me to read, let alone love, a cookbook that contains few or no photographs. However, one of my all-time favorite cookbooks is The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl. This is a very big yellow book, containing over 1,000 recipes in its 1,040 pages; literally 60 years worth of the best recipes from the now defunct magazine. There are no shiny photographs, no glossy pages, just fabulous, reliable recipes for foods you’ll love. Our favorite pork recipe, Cuban Pork Roast, is found within the pages of this gigantic book. We like to serve it with quinoa, cooked in a rice cooker (just set it for white rice) with vegetable stock and a little cilantro, but for a more traditional meal, rice and beans would be fitting. Try to use fresh citrus juice, but if you don’t have quite enough, make up the difference with bottled or juice from concentrate.

Cuban Roast Pork Loin

• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, preferably tied
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 Tb butter

Marinate the pork:

1. Using a heavy knife or fork, mash the garlic with the oregano, salt and pepper to make a paste. Rub mixture over pork. Put pork in resealable plastic bag.
2. Stir together juices and 1 tablespoon olive oil and pour over the pork. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Marinate pork, refrigerated, turning occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Roast the pork:

1. Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 325.
2. Lift pork from marinade, reserving marinade.
3. Heat butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in oven-proof pot, over medium heat until foam subsides. Brown pork on all sides; this takes about 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat and pour reserved marinade over pork.
4. Cover pot and roast about 45 min- 1 hour, or until roast registers 145 F on meat thermometer (this is what the original recipe states, I cook my pork to an internal temp of 160, which is the USDA’s recommendation for pork)
5. Transfer pork to plate or cutting board and let rest about 10 minutes, internal temperature will rise 5-10 degree; meanwhile boil cooking juices 5-10 minutes. Slice roast and serve with juices.

BBQ Baked Potato February 24, 2010

I am having one of those weeks. You probably know what kind of week I mean; the one where it would help if I was more organized, planned my meals better and just had more time. So, last night in an effort to be more of this organized super-mom I wish to be, I surveyed my fridge, seeing what quick meal ideas I could come up with. I had leftover homemade BBQ Sauce, so I decided I would defrost some chicken in the fridge overnight and make slow cooker bbq chicken the next day.

So, the next day happens. I go to throw my ingredients into the slow cooker, only to remember we don’t eat gluten. The only way I know how to serve shredded BBQ chicken is on a roll. And sure, I have made some gluten free breads and rolls, but they aren’t all that special. And truth be told, homemade bread is only worth the trouble if it tastes great, or at least good. And even if I did have a gluten free bread recipe up my sleeve, today was not a day I had time to make bread.

I do the only think I know to do, I call my sister and ask what else her family eats bbq shredded meat on or with. She suggests a baked potato, apparently this is popular in bbq country. So I chopped up some green onions, grated some cheddar cheese (although I think colby-jack would be better, I had none) and went about my day. When I arrived home, very tired and way past our regular dinner time, with a very grumpy toddler at my foot, I quickly washed up some potatoes, threw them in the microwave and had dinner on the table in no time. It was delicious, thanks Lynn. Dinner Saved.

BBQ Baked Potatoes

Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian Dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• diced onions and garlic, optional (my homemade bbq sauce has onions and garlic, so I don’t add more)

1. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook around 3 hours on low. Using a fork, shred chicken and stir back into sauce to combine.
2. Cook on high for approximately 1 more hour, or until meat is done.

• 4-6 baked potatoes
• sour cream, cheese, green onions or chives, all optional but delicious

1. To serve, split open potatoes, lengthwise. Spoon chicken on top of potatoes. Top with optional ingredients if desired. Enjoy.

Lemon Pie Filling February 23, 2010

I love lemon desserts. Lemon bars, lemon pie, lemon cakes, they are all so good. When I am in the mood for a lemon treat, but I don’t want to fuss with a complicated recipe, I make lemon pie filling. This makes a nice thick pudding, perfect for lemon meringue pie, but you can reduce the amount of cornstarch to make it less custard-like if you prefer. It is really essential to use fresh lemon juice; the stuff in the bottle really won’t taste the same. And if you want a strong lemon flavor, feel free to add the lemon zest from 1 lemon; I prefer a really smooth pudding, so I make mine zest-free.

My mom likes to serve lemon pudding over pound cake or as a cake filing. I like it freshly cooked and still warm, my husband prefers it really chilled. No matter how you like it, this recipe is really easy and if you like citrus, it should be a hit! I need to get back to the kitchen and figure out how to make a great gluten free pie crust now. Lemon meringue pie, that would be yummy.

Lemon Pie Filling pictured with Easy Chocolate Pudding

Lemon Pie Filling

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• dash salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (for thinner pudding only use 1/4 cup)
  
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (typically the juice of 1-2 lemons)
• 3 Tb butter
  

1. In medium saucepan combine sugar, salt, water and cornstarch. Boil until thick and clear. Remove from heat.
2. In separate bowl, whisk egg yolk and lemon juice. Gradually add to hot mixture.
3. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter; stir until melted.
4. If your eggs accidentally got a bit scrambled, don’t worry. Pour pudding through a kitchen strainer, this will remove any lumps and chunks.
5. Pour hot pudding into glass bowl and allow to cool 10 minutes. Place plastic wrap directly on top of pudding; this will prevent a film from forming. Refrigerate until cold. If using for a lemon meringue pie, you MUST allow the filling to cool before topping with meringue, it will weep otherwise.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak February 22, 2010

I have a love/hate relationship with my crock pot. I love the ease and convenience, but I have hated more than one slow cooker meal. And what is with all  the slow cooker recipes and the ingredients they call for, the cream of this, cream of that soup? And cheese whiz. The last thing I want slow cooking with my meat is a congealed can of fat or artificial cheese. Seriously, what were our mothers thinking? And slow cookers can be a pain in the you know what to wash.

Even with all the drawbacks, there are days when my crock pot is a life saver, especially now that we eat gluten free. Long gone are the days when we can just order a pizza or pick up some deli food on a hectic day. And between school, work, activities and normal family life, isn’t every week just a little chaotic? So, in the end I need my crock pot, but I also need dependable recipes that will produce a delicious meal. This isn’t always easy.

I have found that things that naturally require low and slow cooking also work the best in a crock pot, go figure, huh? Things I have been the happiest with are: beans, broths, stews, soups and roasts. Red meat seems to work better than chicken. Chicken is notorious for being easy to  over cook and dry out, so slow cook chicken with caution. Another warning, the old slow cookers required a longer cooking time. So if you are using an old recipe and a new crock pot, make sure to adjust the cooking time. I doubt anything requires 12 hours in a newer slow cooker, but this seemed to be the norm in the old ones. And please, for the love of all things delicious, do not use cream of anything soup. Your family and your arteries will thank you.

This is my all time favorite slow cooker meal. I believe it came from an old Taste of Home of Country magazine. Feel free to use a can of tomato sauce in place of the canned tomatoes if you prefer, it will be good either way. And the original recipe called for a 16 oz can of tomatoes, but the brands I use are all 14.5 oz cans, so I changed this accordingly. But I seriously doubt it will matter which size of can you use.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

• 1 1/2-2 pounds round steak (or any other appropriate cut)
• 2 Tb oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (if eating gf, San-J makes a good one)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 1 tsp sugar
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger  (or about 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced)
  
• 1-  14.5oz can of cut tomatoes with liquid (or a can of tomato sauce)
  
• 2 large bell peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tb Cornstarch

1. Cut beef into 3-inch strips and brown in oil in skillet (if short on time, browning  can be skipped). Place beef in slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, pepper, ginger, tomatoes and green peppers. Cook on low 5-6 hours or until beef is tender.
3. Combine cornstarch and water in small dish. Stir into slow cooker and cook on high until thick; about 30 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Double Corn & Fruit Mix February 21, 2010

I have a food confession. Maybe it’s more of a parenting confession. Since going gluten free, I have been spoiling my kids with “snack food” when we grocery shop. Maybe this is out of guilt, because there are so many foods off limits now, whatever the reason it has to stop. Even if it is organic, gluten free junk food, junk food is still just junk food, and it really doesn’t have a place in our kids’ diets. I like desserts and treats as much as the next person, but I am going to really make an effort to stop buying the kids candy, chips, and other gluten free junk food items.

If you eat gluten free, you know how hard it can be to find healthy snack foods to take in the car or pack in a lunch. I have been trying to find some good recipes, but they seem to all consist of  ingredients we can’t eat or contain copious amounts of corn syrup or marshmallows. I bought Arrowhead Mills puffed corn cereal (these come in bags and are a real bargain for a gf cereal). I am assuming it’s gluten free because it only has one ingredient-puffed corn. And wouldn’t you know on the back of the bag was a recipe for Double Corn Mix. It called for popcorn, puffed corn cereal, dried fruit, oil and honey. I made a few modifications, using butter in place of the oil and adding peanuts; and my 2 year old loved helping me mix the ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, a nice combination of salty and sweet, with just enough crunch thrown in. A perfect snack food, and it is semi-healthy to boot.

It is a very simple recipe and could be altered in almost infinite ways. I am thinking coconut and dried tropical fruits would be fantastic, or maybe chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts, the combinations seem endless. Hope this recipe inspires you to come up with your own version of Double Corn & Fruit Mix.

Double Corn & Fruit Mix

• 3 cups puffed corn cereal
• 2 cups popped popcorn, kernels removed
• 1 cup dried fruit, diced if necessary (I used cranberries, cherries, raisins and chopped prunes)
• 3/4 cup lightly salted peanuts
• 2 Tb butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In large bowl, combine corns, fruit and peanuts.
3. In separate bowl, combing butter and honey. Pour honey over corn mix and stir to combine.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely before eating. Store in airtight container.

Freezing Bananas February 20, 2010

My family eats a lot of bananas. And if you buy a  lot of bananas, inevitably you have over ripe bananas. What do you do with ripe bananas if you don’t want to use them right away?  I freeze them.  It works best to use the really ripe ones. I prefer to peel them first, if you don’t, they turn a very dark brown and get pretty mushy. You can freeze them whole in a freezer bag and just take out the necessary amount as needed. They take a couple hours to defrost, or you can use the microwave; they do get very soft, but they still work wonderfully in muffins, cakes and quick breads. If you chop the bananas into bit-size pieces before freezing, they’ll be the perfect size to throw in milkshakes and smoothies.

If you are trying to really stretch your grocery budget, buy the marked down bags of bananas when you see them. I was able to get 20 bananas for around $2 and I would never have been able to use them all up if I didn’t freeze some.

Bargain Bananas

Ready to go into freezer

Homemade BBQ Sauce February 19, 2010

There is something so good about barbecue. The aroma of the meat and the sauce. I don’t let the rain stop me, I grill year round. I know there are some gluten free bbq sauces on the market, but I have just started making my own all the time. Homemade barbecue sauce is really quite simple to make, and tastes better than the bottled stuff. It is also very easy to adapt to your family’s taste and it is good on so many things. I usually make up batch and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator of freezer to use later.

I have always been a huge Emeril fan, but I especially enjoy his last few cookbooks. They are full of quick and flavorful recipes that are very kid-friendly. The following recipe is an adaption of  the Homemade BBQ Sauce in Emeril’s new cookbook Emeril at the grill, a cookbook for all seasons.

My version of a gourmet burger, minus the bun, dripping with Homemade BBQ Sauce.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

• 1 Tb oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tb chopped garlic
• 2 cups kechup
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TB red hot sauce, optional
• 1 Tb yellow mustard
• 1 tsp creole seasoning

1. Heat oil in saucepan over med-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. *Any unused sauce can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen (I like to use a glass salad dressing or canning jar with lid).