Seriously The Most Delicious GF Bread Ever

I found this recipe on Karina's blog the other day, and was itching to try it. Finally the weekend rolled around, and I got my chance. It was every bit as good as I had imagined. I finished off the last piece yesterday, and batch number two is baking in the oven right now. Here it is, in all it's glory, with a few minor adjustments. My third batch will hopefully give the millet flour a go, but I have yet to find it at any of the local HFS's...may have to order some online, just for this recipe.

Delicious Gluten Free Bread

2 1/2 cups sorghum flour blend*
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp acacia fiber (I add this to all my baked goods, b/c it helps with an irritable bowel)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/3 c warm water (I always go for baby-bath warm water)
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg (or, in my case, 1/4 c egg white. The original recipe is egg-free)
1-3 tsp sesame/hemp/flax seeds (I used 3 tsp flaxseed)

Whisk together flour, xanthan, acacia, and salt. Pour yeast on top, then add water and half of the agave. Let sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast rise. Add additional wet ingredients, then mix everything on medium speed for about 3 minutes. It will be really sticky and cake-batter-like. Not very bread-doughish.

Scoop dough into a 1.5 lb loaf pan or a 7-8 inch baking pan (I don't have a bread pan that big yet). Smooth dough out using wet fingers (frequently re-wetting them). Sprinkle seeds over the top. Cover pan with a towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes in a warm spot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 35-60 minutes (depending on altitude. Mine only took 35 minutes). Remove bread from pan, and transfer to a wire rack. Place the rack in the oven, and bake for an additional 10 minutes (you could just put it straight on the oven rack, but mine is super dirty :P). Bread should sound hollow when tapped. It should also be lightly golden on top.

Remove from oven, and cool completely on wire rack.

So far this bread has been great as an open-faced turkey and mustard sandwich, open-faced tuna sandwich, toasted with butter and garlic salt, toasted with homemade meat sauce on top, and fresh out of the oven with a dollop of cream cheese frosting (don't ask...I was so excited to have created a successful dairy-free cream cheese using Tofutti cream cheese, and didn't have anything to try it on!).

Next on the list, french toast! And maybe a grilled cheese sandwich (w/ DF cheese).



*Sorghum flour blend
1 1/2 c sorghum flour
1 1/2 c potato starch/cornstarch (I use corn b/c I can't tolerate potatoes)
1 c tapioca flour

Mix together in a large tupperware. Keep on hand for all your favorite recipes.

Walt Disney World 2009 Vacation - Dining Review

So, I just had the best vacation of my gluten-free life! Seriously, I could sing praises all day and night for Disney! They rocked my world! I was so spoiled, I felt like a princess! I kept a log (as best as I could remember) of all the places we ate at, what I ordered, the chef’s name who worked with me, and my experience. I didn’t take many pictures of the food, but I have great memories in my mind (and I’m sure a few lingering calories in my hips).



Here’s the report:


Day 1:

*Boatwright’s – Port Orleans Riverside Resort

Chef: Thomas. Server: Jenny

Meal: Tapioca rolls, prime rib, warm sweet potato salad, fruit cup dessert.

Experience: 5 stars! What a great start to the trip! The place I was the most worried about (w/ images of deep-fried southern food in my head) totally surprised me. The food was amazing, the chef was super nice, plus there was enough of the sweet potato salad for me to take back to the room, and serve over toast for my breakfast the next two days.


Day 2:

*Pecos Bill's - Magic Kingdom

Meal: Hamburger on an ener-g bun, apple slices.

Experience: 3 1/2 stars. This place was okay. The food was pretty good, the manager was great, but the lady helping us wasn't very familiar with the protocol. Probably the most trouble we had at a lunch/cafeteria type place. And it took about 15 minutes (which we later learned was really slow for the typical lunch place, even gluten-free). I did get a mild tummy ache afterward (probably IBS related, since I don't eat beef very often).


*Liberty Tree Tavern - Magic Kingdom

Chef: Matt. Server: Rory.

Meal: Flank steak, turkey, mashed potatoes offered (but I can't eat them), turkey gravy (w/ cornstarch), green beans. Chocolate Tofutti ice cream for dessert.

Experience: 5 stars, hands down!! This was probably my favorite meal all week. Our chef and server were both great. The food was incredible! That steak melted in my mouth. I've never had such an amazing steak! The turkey and gravy was even better than Thanksgiving dinner! Very moist and flavorful. And the Tofutti! Wow, I just about cried, it was so good! I kept bugging Luke all week to go back there.


Day 3:

*Sunshine Season's Cafeteria - Epcot

Meal: Salmon, rice pilaf, broccoli, brownie.

Experience: 3 stars. This place was decent. The chef was hard to understand, but he did alright. I was a little worried about CC issues, since he didn't prepare anything special for me, just pointed to what was gluten-free, and the girl put it on a plate for me. The food tasted good, but was a little greasy, which gave me a bit of a tummy ache. The brownie was probably my favorite part of the meal. It wasn't super-moist, but it tasted pretty good. The brand was "French Meadow Bakery". I was excited to have a good dessert, at least.




*Garden Grill - Epcot

Chef: Mike.

Meal: Tapioca rolls, salad w/ oil and vinegar, turkey with cranberry sauce, steak, white rice. Brownie for dessert.

Experience: 4 stars. This place was pretty fun. It was a character dinner, so Mickey and Pluto and Chip and Dale wandered by and said hi (except Dale didn't really. He just waved and kept walking. We were disappointed). It's also cool because the whole restaurant is on a revolver (like the space needle in Seattle). So, the whole time, you're moving (just a little bit, hardly noticeable). It would have been even cooler if there had been more to see, but the scenery was dark. As far as the food went, it was pretty good. I was spoiled by an amazing steak and turkey dinner the night before, but this was still decently good. They brought me some oil for my salad, and I used that to dip my roll in. That was yummy. The brownie they gave me for dessert was the same one I'd had for lunch, they just unwrapped it and put it on a plate. The other nice thing about this place was that our food arrived within 10 minutes of us ordering. We weren't even finished with our salads!



Day 4:

*Port Orleans Cafeteria

Meal: Pancakes (w/ strawberry jam), bacon, juice

Experience: 4 1/2 stars. This was a great breakfast! The chef, wish I could remember his name, he was wonderful. It did take about 10 minutes to make, but it was well worth waiting for. I misunderstood him though. He asked if I could have eggs, and I took that to mean there were eggs with my meal. Was a little bummed when he just brought out bacon. But it was still really good. Note to self: bring my own GF maple syrup next time!


*Coral Reef Restaurant - Epcot

Meal: Tapioca rolls, Mahi Mahi w/ coconut rice and pineapple salsa. Mango sorbet with fruit for dessert.

Experience: 4 1/2 stars. This place was really fun! You get to enjoy the huge aquarium view while you're eating. But it's kinda dark in the tank, and in the restaurant. Our server and chef were pretty good. The fish was awesome! Very moist and tender. I really liked the flavor of the whole meal. Dessert was pretty good, went well with the food.


*San Angel Inn - Epcot

Meal: Chips and salsa, beef (I can't even remember what it was called. It was just this beef with seasonings, served over a corn tortilla...but there was a TON of it).

Experience: 1 star. The chips and salsa were pretty good. The server was very cold, and definitely ignored us. She walked past our table quite frequently as she visited the other customers. We thought it was because we were the only ones speaking English, and maybe she didn't speak it very well. If I had known, I would have busted out the Spanish. The chef was kinda rude too, very impatient with me. Kind of frustrating, when I didn't understand what half the stuff was. I was expecting this place to be good, I love Mexican food, but there was nothing "typical" (wow, am I a gringo for saying that?)...no tacos, enchiladas, fajitas...all these weird dishes, and it was mostly beef and pork, which I don't really eat. So, I picked the one that sounded the least complicated...which it was. It was just a pile of beef on my plate. Luke ordered the same thing. We ended up eating it with our chips and salsa. I'm sorry, but even though I love and miss eating beef all the time, it's very hard to eat it without anything else. I didn't really understand the meal. We both ended up having some tummy problems that night. We didn't get dessert that night. I asked, and the only thing they offered was a "rice cream", and when I asked about flavors, they said it was rice flavored. I don't know if they misunderstood me, or what. Overall, a disappointing and frustrating meal.


Day 5:

*We went down to Tampa Bay to visit some relatives this day.*

*Port Orleans Cafeteria

Meal: Pancakes, egg whites.

Experience: 3 1/2 stars. The pancakes were the same as yesterday's. That was nice. I thought I'd order some egg whites instead of the bacon today. They literally looked like egg whites, like someone had fried a few eggs, then cut the yolk out of them. And they were pretty greasy. It was a bit disappointing. I didn't eat much of them. But the pancakes were good again :)


*Cha Cha Coconuts - St Petersburg, FL

Meal: Mahi Mahi with pineapple, rice, beans and fried plantains.

Experience: 1 1/2 stars. The fish was decent, if a little overcooked. The server didn't have a clue about food allergies, and they were too busy for the chef to come out. So, I asked for no beans (they don't agree with me), but the whole plate was covered with them. I picked around them, eating the fish and the rice, and ignoring the plantains altogether. I didn't get gluten sick, but my tummy definitely didn't like something I ate there. It was a very frustrating experience, made me miss Disney very much :)


*Bahama Breeze - Tampa Bay, FL

Meal: Salmon, fruity rice, veggies

Experience: 5 stars! This place was refreshing after lunch. The food was so good. It was hard, b/c everyone else got a flatbread pizza-like thing for an appetizer, and I got to watch them all eat it. But I was very impressed with the meal, so that made up for it. Our server just played go-between between me and the chef, she was great at getting all my questions answered.


Day 6:

*Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano - Epcot

Chef: Mike

Meal: Tapioca rolls, Pizza!!! with soy cheese, tomatoes, basil, and pesto.

Experience: 5 stars! This was awesome! I had thought this place was one of the recommended GF restaurants sent to me by Disney, but I looked later, and it wasn't. But, boy am I glad we went here! Mike was great! He came out and basically told me he could make me whatever I wanted. So of course, I got a pizza! It was perfect! He actually brought me out 2 "mini" pizzas. The crust was a little thick, but it was very tasty. I gobbled up every bite! And I nearly cried with joy. Although, next time, I'd order it with a little bit of meat. Luke had all this prosciutto on his pizza that he picked off, and I really wanted to put some of it on mine. Ah, well, it was still the best pizza I've had in 3 years!



*Electric Umbrella - Epcot

Meal: Hamburger on Ener-G bun, apples, brownie for dessert.

Experience: 4 stars. Another burger joint, but this one was pretty quick, and they gave me a brownie too :)


Day 7:

*Restaurantosaurus

Meal: Hamburger on Ener-G bun, apples, grapes for dessert.

Experience: 4 stars. Another good burger. Nothing too special, comparatively speaking (even though it rocks that I got to eat a HAMBURGER at a restaurant!). Wow, I kinda sound like a spoiled brat...yeah, being pampered like this could definitely turn me into a snob :)


*Cinderella's Royal Table

Meal: BLT salad, tapioca rolls, prime rib, pasta w/ marinara sauce, asparagus. Raspberry sorbet for dessert.

Experience: 4 stars. The experience of the meal was very exciting! Getting our picture w/ Cinderella, and having the Fairy Godmother sing to us was fun. The food itself was pretty good. I liked the salad a lot, it was basically just that, a BLT w/ a honey mustard dressing. Rolls were good as always. The main course wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be, considering this meal cost us the equivalent of 2 dinners on our dining plan. My meat was overcooked, as was the asparagus, and the pasta was cold. It wasn't horrible, just nothing that wow-ed me. The sorbet was pretty tasty though. They topped it with some berries. Yum!



Day 8:

*Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - Magic Kingdom

Meal: Hamburger on Ener-G bun, apples, grapes, brownie for dessert.

Experience: 4 stars. I don't know if it was an accident, but they gave me both fruits at this meal. I really liked the grapes. Everything else was the same, but still good :)


*Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant - Hollywood Studios

Meal: Pasta w/ shrimp, spinach, tomatoes and artichokes. Tofutti ice cream over a brownie, w/ chocolate sauce and strawberries for dessert.

Experience: 5 stars. This place was so cool! I liked that we ate in little cars. I just wish they would have played more on the screen. It was like an 8 minute rotation of commercials from the 50's and cartoons. The food was awesome! This was one of the best places we ate at, food-wise. Our chef was very helpful. The pasta was incredible, I really wanted to take it home. But knowing what was coming for dessert kept me from overeating. And what a dessert it was! I couldn't decide if the ice cream was vanilla or butterscotch, but it was yummy. They served it over one of those brownies I'd gotten for lunches. That's the way to eat those brownies, by the way! It was all warm and moist. Yum! I ate the whole freaking thing!



Let me tell ya, it was hard coming home and having to start cooking for myself again. I was seriously and completely spoiled. And very shocked that I didn't actually gain any weight on this trip. I think coming home and getting the flu helped w/ that though...thanks to Luke's coworker's kids, who were sick on the plane coming home.



A couple funny/weird things I did, I guess you could call them helpful hints:

*They were very generous with the Tapioca rolls, usually bringing me 2 or 3 per meal, so at some of the places, I stashed one of the rolls in a ziploc bag. They made nice snacks later, or lunches w/ some packaged tuna.
*I brought my own toaster oven. We were on the dining plan, which only technically included 2 meals a day, plus one snack. I'm a big breakfast person, so a snack (ie, an apple, or a juice) doesn't really cut it for me. So I brought my own bread and toasted it every morning, topped it w/ some peanut butter (or that sweet potato salad I had leftover). I also brought some tinfoil so we could heat up food for Luke and not get gluten crumbs on my stuff. It was a lifesaver!
*I carried around some of those serving-sized envelopes of tuna, some packets of mayo, and some glutino crackers (or a leftover tapioca roll) in my backpack for an emergency lunch. That was great on the days we had a late dinner reservation.
*I learned that asking about dessert options when the chef came out to talk about dinner was helpful. Otherwise, they had to come out again, or the server had to be the go-between.


Next stop...a Disney Cruise!!! I hope :)


For more fun pics from our trip, visit my other blog!

1000 Gluten Free Recipes by Carol Fenster

I know I keep raving about the great new recipes I've found in this book. But it really is awesome! First of all, there's a thousand of them! That's like 4x as many as a normal cookbook. Second, a lot of her recipes are vegan, so I can do the dairy free thing easily, and know what's best to sub in a recipe. Yeah, it's a kickass book! I love it! I'd take it with me everywhere to share with people if it weren't so heavy! It's literally the size of a dictionary (or maybe a textbook). I'd need a bigger purse for that...

Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
from "1000 GF Recipes"
by Carol Fenster



I've tried a few recipes to try and recreate a good ranch-like salad dressing. Luke's fave place to eat is Red Robin, and the only thing I can really eat there is the Cobb Salad. For awhile, I was ok eating it with Italian dressing, but that got really old after awhile, since I had to forgo half the ingredients (bacon and Italian dressing don't really mix...neither do avocados).
This dressing is the closest I've come to Hidden Valley. It's pretty dang good. I'm thinking about keeping the spices mixed in a small tupperware, and just measuring out enough for a serving to mix with the liquid ingredients when I need it.

Ranch Dressing

Dry ingredients:
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried chives
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried savory
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Wet ingredients:
1/2 c mayo (I've also used Tofutti sour cream, which has worked well, if a bit sourer)
1/4 c DF milk (The recipe calls for 1/2 c, but it's a bit runny w/ that much)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar (I use cider vinegar, b/c that's what I have)

In a blender, process the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until smooth. Let stand one hour to allow flavors to blend. Store, tightly covered, in the fridge, for up to a week.

Makes about 3 servings

You can also just pour everything into a small tupperware, and shake it up. Which is what I did to the batch I photographed above. Which is why it looks like there's dressing all over the sides of the container. Because there is :)

The recipe doesn't specify, but I've always let the dressing sit in the fridge to blend the flavors. Anyone know if you're supposed to leave it at room temperature?

Blackberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

These muffins are simply delectable. I found fresh blackberries on sale at the health food store the other day, and bought up a few. I made some muffins a couple summers ago with fresh blackberries, and remember loving them, but couldn't remember what recipe I had used. So, I rummaged through all my cookbooks and came up with this one. It's from my new favorite "1000 Gluten Free Recipes" by Carol Fenster, and the original recipe calls for raspberries and lemon zest. I subbed the blackberries in, and used lemon juice instead of zest (since I didn't have any lemons).
I brought these in to share w/ everyone at work, and the girls asked me for the recipe. Now I have to figure out how it would be converted to a gluten-full recipe :P



Blackberry Muffins w/ Streusel Topping

2 large eggs, at room temp
1/2 c milk
1/3 c canola oil (I just used applesauce)
2 tsp grated lemon zest (I used lemon juice)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c sorghum flour blend*
1/4 c tapioca starch or sorghum flour blend (I used almond meal instead to give texture)
3/4 c packed brown sugar (I didn't have any brown, so used white sugar instead)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 c (6 oz) fresh blackberries, rinsed and patted dry

Streusel Topping:
1/4 c sorghum flour blend*
1/4 c GF cereal (the recipe suggests Perky's nutty flax/rice cereals, which are a lot like grapenuts, and I like, but I only had rice chex on hand, so I crushed that up and used instead)
1/4 c packed brown sugar (again, I used white, as I was out of brown)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 c (1/4 stick) unsalted butter/buttery spread (I used Earth Balance)

To make muffins:
Place a rack in the middle of the oven, preheat to 375 F. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, oil, lemon, and vanilla, and beat until batter is smooth and thickened slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, except the berries. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until batter is smooth. Gently stir in the berries. I left my berries whole, but I really like having some berry in every bite, so next time, I might cut my berries in half (they were really big). Spoon batter into muffin tins. Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp streusel topping onto each muffin, and press into batter gently.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffin tops are firm. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Best when served warm. Reheat wonderfully in the microwave or toaster oven.

To make the topping:
In a medium bowl, mix together the first five ingredients until blended. Cut in the butter, and using your fingers, blend until well mixed and butter is in pea-sized pieces.

*Sorghum flour blend
1 1/2 c sorghum flour
1 1/2 c potato starch/cornstarch
1 c tapioca flour

Makes 12-15 muffins, depending on size (the picture below is of mini-muffins).

Cookies!

So, it is our good friend's birthday today, and we are going to hang out later. For his birthday, he requested some GF goodies (his wife is trying the GF diet). So, I whipped these bad boys up. They turned out great! It was hard not to eat them all. I was very excited to post them right away!



Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
(from "1000 GF Recipes" by Carol Fenster)

1/4 c butter/buttery spread, at room temperature (I used 1/8 c Earth Balance spread, and 1/8 c applesauce)
1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar (I ran out of brown sugar, so subbed 1/2 c regular sugar)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c Sorghum blend*
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch or alkali)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp acacia fiber (optional, I use this for my IBS diet)
3/4 c chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
1/2 c dried sweetened cranberries (I used fresh, chopped berries)
1/4 c finely chopped walnuts (I bet pecans/almonds would work great as well)

Place oven racks in the two middle slots in the oven, right on top of each other. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on low speed for about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts. Mix well to make sure the chips, berries and nuts are thoroughly incorporated.
Use a wet tablespoon to scoop 1-1 1/2 inch balls of dough onto baking sheets, about an inch apart. Use the bottom of a drinking glass (dipped in water) to press cookies down. Place one sheet on the lower rack, and the other on the upper.
Bake for 6 minutes, then switch the baking sheets between racks. Bake for 5 minutes more, until cookies are firm. Cool for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Enjoy!

*Sorghum blend:
1 1/2 c sorghum flour
1 1/2 c potato starch/cornstarch (I use cornstarch b/c my tummy can't handle potatoes)
1 c tapioca flour

I am also pleased to announce that the dough from the sugar cookies I made last month freezes wonderfully! Here are the cookies I made w/ that dough:

Gluten and Dairy Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

These rock! I found the recipe on Karina's site.

I made the recipe mostly the same, just reduced the oil to 1/4 c (and used EVOO rather than light), and I used Martinelli's sparkling apple cider in place of apple juice (Luke drank it for dinner before I could claim it). The buckwheat was not very noticeable to me. They tasted similar to what I remember of a bran muffin, but lighter and airier. I was very tired last night when I pulled out the last batch, so I put some of them away when not completely cooled >< They were a bit soggy this morning, but 15 seconds in the microwave, followed by 3-4 minutes in the toaster oven, and they were good as new!

Gluten/Dairy Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Egg replacer for 2 large eggs
4 tbsp apple juice (or sparkling cider)
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tbsp Acacia fiber (optional)
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.
Beat wet ingredients plus sugar together in a mixing bowl.
Pour dry ingredients on top of wet, then mix until well combined.
Stir in apples and nuts.
Spoon into greased/lined muffin cups
Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine needed 24 minutes), until firm and dark golden. Test w/ a knife to see if done.
Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

The original recipe says this makes 12 muffins. I didn't know how full to fill the pan, so I ended up getting 18 muffins out of this. It might help if I had a full 12-cup muffin pan...

Enjoy!!!

Gluten/Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

Here's an awesome recipe thanks to Lauren at Daring to Thrive!

I modified it a bit, based on ingredients I had on hand. Very impressed! I tried making GF sugar cookies after I was first diagnosed, 2 Christmases ago. They failed miserably. Since then, I have craved a great sugar cookie that also cuts well. This is it! Even my gluten eating husband gave them the thumbs up. He said they were totally "company-worthy" (meaning, ok to share w/ other gluten-eaters). I definitely agree!



Gluten/Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

1/4 c Spectrum shortening
1/4 c applesauce
3/4 c sugar
1 egg (or 1/4 c egg white substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (for some reason I thought this recipe called for almond, and so I added it at the last second)
2 tbsp milk substitute, divided (I used silk soy milk)
2 cups Featherlight flour mix
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Cream shortening, applesauce and sugar in mixer.
Add egg, vanilla, almond, and 1 tbsp milk. Mix well.
Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add slowly to wet ingredients, mixing as you go.
Add extra milk if needed to moisten the mixture. Mine didn't need it.
Cover bowl, and refrigerate (or set out on the back porch) for at least 1 hr.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Dust counter with flour (use a lot!), then roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters.
Place cookies on baking sheet covered w/ parchment paper (I am now a HUGE fan of parchment paper - used it for this recipe, and was amazed by it!). The cookies don't spread out much when baking, so you can put them pretty close together (at least, mine didn't).
Bake for 7-10 minutes (mine only needed 7 minutes). Cookies are done when edges are firm, and bottoms are golden (not brown).
Let cool completely, then frost and decorate.



I used Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting, and some colored sugar sprinkles.

They tasted delicious, but I must admit, trying to frost stars and trees was a bit of a challenge for me. My desire to make Christmas cut cookies has been satiated, and next time, I think I will just use a glass to cut circular cookies for easier frosting.

Mexican Chocolate Bark

It has been a chocolate-filled day. 6 hours of making chocolate bark for friends and family. My thumbs feel about to fall off. The skin on my fingers is raw from shelling pistachios. And I learned the hard way that when trying to break bark, one must not press on it with their thumbs, but rather, use fingers or palms. How I learned this? I suppose I have my super cute, but horribly long nails to thank for this experience. I leaned the slab of bark against the edge of the pan, and pressed both of my thumbs against it to try and break the chocolate. As the chocolate broke, the pressure went all into my nails, literally ripping part of my fingernails off. It was a horribly painful experience. So, please, do not repeat this! Use fingers, not nails!

Here is a picture of the beautiful finished product:

The dairy free version for my cousin and myself:

Un-melting the chocolate in the conveniently large freezer that is my backyard:

Here are the super cute takeout boxes we packaged the chocolate in for friends and family:

Mexican Chocolate Bark
1/2 c shelled pistachios, chopped a bit
1/3 c shelled pumpkin seeds
1 12-oz bag chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp cinnamon plus a few pinches for garnish
3/4 tsp ancho chili powder plus a few pinches for garnish
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch salt

Prepare a flat baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper (can I just say that I LOVE parchment paper! It is amazing for cookies! See more rave reviews in my next post of sugar cookies).
Toast pistachios for 1 minute in a dry skillet preheated to med-high heat. Set aside. In the same skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds for 1 minute. Add to pistachios.
Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Add all but a handful of the nuts to the chocolate. Add vanilla, spices (except garnish pinches), and salt. Stir to combine.
Spread over pan, and smooth until even. Sprinkle reserved nuts on top, and press in slightly. Sprinkle the pinches of spices over the top of the chocolate. Allow to cool in refrigerator (or out in the backyard) for about half an hour. Break into pieces. Enjoy!

Here are the super cute "Night Before Christmas Kits" we gave to friends and family, each including a box of the chocolate bark:

Favorite Cheats

So, as much as I love baking, I don't always have the time for it. I thought I'd post the most amazing dessert that I made last month for Hannah's birthday. Everybody loved it. It was very hard to tell them all that I hadn't actually created this on my own. Yes, I'd had help. But it sure was good :) We went to a work party last night, where I brought some cupcakes made with the rest of the cake batter, so I thought I'd post the pictures of the cake. I forgot to take pictures of the cupcakes though. The cake mix made enough for 15 cupcakes and this cake. The frosting made enough to cover the cake liberally. YUM!


Namaste Chocolate Cake with Pamela's Dark Chocolate Frosting

Namaste: http://www.amazon.com/Namaste-Foods-Cake-Chocolate-29-Ounce/dp/B000LKVHYC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1229827809&sr=8-1

Pamela's: http://www.amazon.com/Pamelas-Products-Chocolate-Frosting-12-Ounce/dp/B000Y02VZI/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1229827841&sr=1-21

Yellow Pancakes

This recipe is so yummy! I've never had pancakes w/ a lemon flavor to them, and I am definitely a fan! Thanks Leigh Anne !

Yellow Pancakes

1/4 c egg white substitute
1/4 cup almond/soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp GF flour
1 tsp olive oil
Powdered sugar and lemon juice

Mix together, egg whites, milk, vanilla, flour and melted butter. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat, and spray w/ cooking spray. When the pan is heated, pour half the batter into the pan. Cook until set and no longer runny. Turn pancake over and cook 1 minute more. Repeat w/ remaining batter. Sprinkle lemon juice and powdered sugar on top.

Sweet Potato Cornbread


I got this amazing recipe from Karina over at Gluten Free Goddess (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/10/sweet-potato-cornbread-movie-review.html?showComment=1211994060000).
Luke has said that this recipe totally tastes the same as regular "gluten food". I was very nervous about him trying it, as he is such a traditional eater. But he loved it!
BTW, you've probably noticed the little orange chunks in the bread. That is because I didn't quite puree my sweet potato. I just threw a couple in the microwave, cooked for a few minutes, scooped out the pulp, and mashed it with a fork. I think next time I will try and boil them, then use an electric mixer to mash them better.

Sweet Potato Cornbread
Equivalent of 3 eggs in Egg Beaters (since my IBS diet recommends I avoid yolks)

1/2 c veggie oil (although I used 1/4 c oil and 1/4 c applesauce - also b/c of IBS diet)

3/4 c sweet potato puree

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

A pinch each nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves

1 c cornmeal

1 c featherlight flour mix

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 good pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish, and dust with cornmeal.

Whisk eggs in large mixer. Add oil and applesauce. Add sweet potato and whisk well.

Add sugar, vanilla and spices. Whisk to combine

Pour dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients, and mix together with a wooden spoon.

Pour batter into baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes, until firm and golden. Check with a knife or tooth pick to see if done (will come out clean).

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool until able to cut.

Sooooo good!

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

This recipe is so good! I got the recipe from "A Year of CrockPotting,"(http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-turkey-and-wild-rice-soup.html) and used the ingredients she posted, however, followed the cooking instructions from "Kalyn's Kitchen" (http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/turkey-and-wild-rice-soup-with-cabbage.html).

I really enjoyed the flavor of this soup. It was a great way to use up that leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Luke liked this soup better w/ extra chicken broth added (not a huge fan of the balsamic vinegar). He also was weirded out by the wild rice, and requested that next time it be made w/ regular white rice.

The only problem with this soup is that it was the last thing I ate on the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving. And thanks to someone at our Thanksgiving dinner, I spent the wee hours of Monday morning hugging my toilet (stomach flu). So, even though I had made a huge batch of this soup, I was only able to eat it on Sunday for lunch and dinner. I spent the next 3 days in bed, eating flax rolls and drinking lots of tea.

So, my advice is, don't eat this if you are going to be sick in the middle of the night. Cuz then you won't be able to enjoy the leftovers. And will have to file this recipe away until next Thanksgiving when your stomach doesn't churn at the thought of eating it again.

But I promise, it really is good!

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

2 c cooked turkey, shredded

8 c chicken broth

2/3 c uncooked wild rice

about 1 tsp onion powder

1 c chopped carrots

1 tsp sage

1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2-3 c spinach leaves

Put broth, rice, onion powder,carrots and sage into a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and turn heat down. Cover. Allow to simmer 1/2 hr.

Add turkey and spinach, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for another half hour. Stir in vinegar to taste, and serve.

Really good when served w/ GF bread!

Thanksgiving 2008

So, playing catch-up here :) I have been super busy and haven't taken time to post anything lately.

Here's what I did for Thanksgiving:
-Wed night - threw a 6 lb turkey breast into the crock pot, added 1 c chicken broth, some sage, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cooked it all night long.
-Thurs morning - took the turkey out of the crock (which meant, picking up the bones, as the meat fell right off of them).
- Made turkey gravy w/ the leftover broth.
- Made this amazing Lemon Cream Coffeecake to bring for dessert

(see recipe here: http://nograinnopain.blogspot.com/2008/09/successful-summer-recipes-its-been-too.html )

- Went shooting with Luke, his dad, and his brother (Photos of that experience here: http://stephanie-ray.blogspot.com/ )

-Came home and tried to warm up after going shooting

- Baked these fabulous rolls, along w/ stuffing (forgot to take a picture of that)

- Took the gravy, stuffing, and rolls over to the in-laws and proceeded to pig out, enjoying my very gluten/dairy free feast! Everyone really liked the coffeecake as well.

- Another gluten free success!

I think I've posted the recipe before for Laurie's Flax Bread (http://www.recipezaar.com/Gluten-Free-Flax-Bread-190906), but here it is again! With my own adaptations, of course.

Gluten Free Flax Bread

2 1/4 c featherlight flour mix

1/4 c ground flax seed

2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

The equivalent of 3 eggs in Ener-G egg replacer

1 c warm almond/hazelnut milk

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp vinegar

Combine flour, flax, xanthan, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, combine milk and yeast. Let foam for a few minutes.

In a mixer, combine egg replacer, oil, agave, honey, and vinegar.

Add milk/yeast, and mix.

Add dry ingredients, and mix on medium for 4 minutes.

Pour into a greased bread pan, and let rise 30 minutes.**

Preheat oven to 350F, and bake for 40 minutes.

**Here, I changed the recipe a bit. I used half the batter to make a dozen rolls, by spooning dough into a muffin tin. I then spread the rest of the dough into an 8x8 baking dish. I let everything rise about 20 minutes, then baked for about half an hour (checking frequently).

The rolls were awesome! I had turkey and gravy "sandwiches" for the rest of the weekend!

The other half of the bread made some killer stuffing. Sooooo good!

Gluten/Dairy Free Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

I am so excited about this recipe! Way too much, so much in fact that I had to post it in green!

One of my favorite places to eat is Cafe Rio, but I have not eaten there since I stopped eating dairy. This recipe is just like the real thing, in my opinion. Thanks to Leigh Anne (http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/dinner-time-cafe-rio-style/) for the recipe! I was able to go to Cafe Rio the other day, and get my favorite Fire Grilled Steak Salad, enjoying it with my own dressing!

Original Recipe:

Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (dry mix)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2- 1/3 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 - 1 small jalapeno (remove seed)
1 cup mayo
1 tsp. lime juice
1-2 tomatillos (remove outer papery skin)
1 garlic clove

Blend all ingredients in blender.

My version:

Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing

(Measurements are based on my memory. I will check and correct the recipe I have when I get home)

1 tsp lemon juice

3/4 - 1 c milk substitute (I used rice milk, next time I think I will cut it down to about 3/4 c, it was a bit runny)

1 c mayo

1/2 tsp each dill, parsley, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 small jalapeno, seeds removed (I tried the recipe w/ half, but it wasn't spicy enough).

1 tsp lime juice

1-2 tomatillos (remove papery skin. I couldn't figure out what the tomatillo tasted like - a mix between an apple and a tomato I think. I only added one to mine, but maybe next time I'll try 2)

1 clove garlic

Measure out lemon juice, pour into a 1 c measuring cup. Add milk until full. Let set for about 10 minutes (this is like making a buttermilk substitute).

Pour into blender. Add mayo and seasonings. Blend.

Add additional ingredients, and blend until desired smoothness.

Best served chilled.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

*I used my Vitamix, so I didn't chop anything, except for halving the jalapeno to get the seeds out. You may want to chop the cilantro, jalapeno, and tomatillos if you don't have a Vitamix*

***PS: does anyone know why I can't space these things out???? Whenever I hit enter, to space out the recipes, it goes back to clumping the lines together once I publish :( WEAK!

IBS Diet and Fat Free French Bread

So, I went to see my Gastro last week, and he told me that in addition to having Celiac Disease, he thinks I also have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I was on the IBS diet a few years ago, before being diagnosed w/ Celiac Disease. In a nutshell, the only changes I have to make are eating a lot more fiber, and a lot less fat. I also have to be aware of the order in which I am eating. I am continuing to avoid dairy, but I am going to try adding (slowly) some soy and potatoes back into my diet. The diet is all about fibers - soluble fiber is key.

My new fiber supplement:

And then the fun part. For the first few days, to calm my system down, I am supposed to detox my system by only eating plain soluble fibers. Which means, since Friday night, I have eaten bread, rice, and potatoes. It has been so boring! But I did find a great new recipe. I was craving bread with a little more "realness" to it. So I scanned my cookbooks, and came across this great recipe by Bette Hagman for Fat Free French Bread. It's awesome! I've gone through half a loaf today alone :)

Yummy French Bread:

Fat-Free French Bread
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour mix**
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons quick rising yeast
1 teaspoon vineager or dough enhancer
2 egg whites (room temp)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Prepare pan by brushing a cookie sheet very lightly w/ some EVOO (or other oil/spray of your choice).
In the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour mix, xanthan gum, sugar, salt and yeast.
Whisk together to blend well.
Add the vineager, egg whites and water.
Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes.
Spoon the dough onto cookie sheet, keeping it in a loaf in the center of the sheet.
Wet your hands, and smooth the top and sides of the loaf.
Cover with a towel and let rise for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
Bake 1/2 hour, then turn the oven down to 375.
The recipe called for baking at 400 for an hour, but I was getting worried b/c it was browning so fast, so I turned it down.
Turn the oven down again to 350 and bake 15 minutes longer.
Let cool. Bread doesn't cut well, so tearing it is the best way to break apart. Can be cut (a little) more easlily when cool.
Reheat in toaster oven.
Tastes great plain (when you have no choice), but I bet dipping it in some oil and vinegar would be divine! Next I'm going to try the sourdough variation of this bread. Yum!

**Here is Bette's GF flour mix

Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss

New Guilty Pleasure - worth the $4

Gluten/Soy/Dairy Free

Made with Coconut Milk and Agave Syrup

Mexican Chocolate Cake Fiasco with Cinnamon "Whipped Cream" and Mexican Chocolate Bark

Let's start with the cake:
So, I'm posting this in the hopes that someone else smarter than myself can help me figure out what I did wrong. I think it was the lack of butter, but I'm not sure. I just really have bad luck with flourless cakes.
My first holiday season going GF, I was asked to bring a dessert to my in-laws for Christmas or Thanksgiving or something. Anyway, I had just gotten back from a trip to Portland where I ate the most amazing flourless chocolate truffle cake. So I was very ambitious, and thought I'd try my hand at that.
Needless to say, it was a disaster, and through my tears, I had to throw together a rather expensive batch of rice crispy treats (made with specialty gluten free rice crisp cereal).
This second attempt was disappointing, but still had a bright side to it (quite a delicious one at that!).
I got the original recipe from Carol over at Simply Gluten Free, and it looked to die for! I mean, I had to restrain myself from licking my computer screen! Here's the link: http://simplygluten-free.blogspot.com/2008/02/gluten-free-mexican-chocolate-cake-with.html
I then had to search almost every store in Utah Valley looking for ancho chili powder. I found some whole chilies at the local Hispanic market, and was able to grind them up in my coffee grinder.
The batter for the cake was so good! I should have just eaten that :) The flavors were amazing together! I was literally pacing the kitchen as I tried to watch the cake bake! It was a very slow, nerve-wracking hour.
So, here's the cake when the timer went off:

Only the outside ring was solidified. So, back into the oven for 10 more minutes, then after another assessment, 15 additional minutes. This is the bottom of the cake:
Then, after flipping the cake so it was right side up, and cooling about 5 minutes, this is what happened:I nearly broke down in tears. But thankfully, I had made this while the cake was baking:
Coconut "Whipped Cream" Topping with Cinnamon
And here's that silver lining I mentioned before - the delectable Mexican Chocolate Bark (original recipe here:http://simplygluten-free.blogspot.com/2008/01/mexican-chocolate-bark.html ):


I tried, really I did. The topping melted the second it left the bowl...but it still tasted great. And the cake was soupy except for about an inch of outside ring, which was crunchy and hard as a rock. So, anyway, I'm going to post my recipe for the bark and the topping here, but if anyone has any ideas about the cake, please let me know!!! The only variations I made to the cake recipe were that I used dairy free chocolate chips, and I used olive oil instead of butter (<--that's my guess).

Coconut Whipped Cream Topping
1 c cold coconut milk (don't use the light, I hear it doesn't work well)
I didn't really measure, but I used about 2/3-1 c of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat coconut milk with electric whisk for about 5 minutes. But I don't know if this step is really necessary, because after 5 minutes, I didn't notice a difference in the texture/consistency of the milk. Beat in the sugar and cinnamon. I think this probably just needed another half hour in the fridge before serving. It got soupy fast. But it tasted really good. Next time, I will try it without the cinnamon. It just tasted a little weird.


Now for the redemption of this whole project:


Mexican Chocolate Bark
1/2 c shelled pistachios (next time I think I will chop these a bit)
1/3 c shelled pumpkin seeds
1 12-oz bag chocolate chips (enjoy life chips worked wonderfully!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground coffee crystals
3/4 tsp cinnamon plus a few pinches for garnish
3/4 tsp ancho chili powder plus a few pinches for garnish
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I didn't have any of this, so I used regular ol' chili powder ground red pepper)
pinch salt

Prepare a flat baking sheet with foil.
Toast pistachios for 1 minute in a dry skillet preheated to med-high heat. Set aside. In the same skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds for 1 minute. Add to pistachios.
Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Add all but a handful of the nuts to the chocolate. Add vanilla, coffee, spices (except garnish pinches), and salt. Stir to combine.
Spread over foil-covered pan, and smooth until even. Sprinkle reserved nuts on top, and press in slightly. I had to press each one individually - trying to use my whole hand just resulted in a chocolate covered hand (which was quite tasty). Sprinkle the pinches of spices over the top of the chocolate. Allow to cool in refrigerator for about half an hour. Break into pieces and dig in!


*One thing - I noticed the heat from the chilies a lot more when the chocolate was still hot...as in, when I was licking the bowl. I think I might add more to the recipe next time. Or maybe if I actually had cayenne pepper, I wouldn't need to...
Most of the people at work said they couldn't taste the chili powder. I suppose that's good. But I really wanted it to be identical to the most amazing candy bar I have ever eaten! http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/red_fire_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars
Hm, maybe I need to find me some chipotle chilies!
But don't get me wrong! I absolutely LOVED this recipe! I am so excited to make it again. And I plan on making it for all my friends and family for Christmas gifts (with regular ol' chocolate chips of course). So, if you are one of those lucky few, start counting down the days to Christmas goodies on your doorstep! If not, make this recipe! Now!

**And while it's cooling in the fridge, read these wonderful instructions: "How to Eat Chocolate" http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/how_to_eat_chocolate


Wow, I wrote an awful lot. Sorry about that :P Hope it all makes sense! It's kinda late here. But I was so excited! I couldn't stop!

Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

These were absolutely scrumptious!

So, last week was Valerie's b-day, and of course the privilege of providing the office with a refreshment was bestowed upon me (since no one else really wants to touch that with a ten-foot pole). So, the night before, I came home from work, frantic about finding an amazing recipe...and worrying because I didn't have any fave recipes coming to mind that I could recreate and share. So I was stuck starting from scratch.

Can I just say how much I love Collette! Seriously! You rock! And saved my butt! We at the office had been talking a few days prior to this event, and Valerie had mentioned how she loved pumpkin cookies.

So I did a search of the gluten free forum recipes for pumpkin, and found quite a few recipes. Except then I got to thinking about the fact that most cookies call for butter, no exceptions, and I wasn't really in the mood to be creative, and hope that butterless cookies would turn out perfect.

Enter Collette! I stumbled across her recipe for a pumpkin cake with a rum/maple glaze. Perfect, right? Except for the fact that I had no rum or maple...nor did I think the rum part would go down with the folks at work.

So I improvised a little. Omit the glaze, and add a bunch of delectable Enjoy Life chocolate chips! Definitely perfect! They all asked for seconds!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

adapted from recipe here.

2 c gluten free flour (I used 1 c white rice, 1/2 c tapioca, and 1/2 c sorghum)

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 c sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c pumpkin pie puree (I used the kind with spices already in it)

3 eggs

2/3 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake tins.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, vanilla, pumpkin, and eggs. Add dry ingredients to wet ones, mix well. Add chocolate chips.

Pour batter into cupcake tins (I filled them about 2/3 full), and bake for about 20 minutes. In my oven, this was perfect timing. Cupcakes do have a little spring in them when pushed on.

Let cool, then serve.

These totally rock when fresh from the oven as well! If you don't want to wait to enjoy them!

Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Here is a great recipe I made last Sunday. A spin-off of my favorite weekend breakfast - pancakes! I was looking for something a little more...decadent, if you will. So I threw in some peanut butter and some allergy-free chocolate chips, and voilà! The perfect lazy Sunday breakfast to be savored while lounging around watching one of my favorite movies: Marie Antionette. The ultimate in indulgence :)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2 c. featherlight mix

1 tsp. xanthan gum

5 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 Tbs. sugar

2 c. hazelnut milk

5 Tbs. EVOO

2 eggs

about 2/3 c. creamy peanut butter (I didn't measure)

1/2 c. chocolate chips (to add later)

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Use an electric mixer to help blend the peanut butter. Mix dry and wet ingredients together. I use an electric mixer to combine them, because otherwise I get baking powder pockets in my pancakes. Pour batter onto a preheated griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top, and push into batter. I use my finger to push the chips in, and smooth a little batter over the top of the hole, otherwise the chips will burn. It's a lot of work, and you can totally add the chips to the batter, I just don't like mine burned.