Gluten Free Adventures- A Continuous Post

I'll add to this post occasionally. 

10/16/14: "Oatmeal" cookies
The original recipe is here.

Here is what I did:
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/8 (ish) cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 TBS flax meal (ground whole flax in the coffee grinder) + 6 TBS water
scant 1/2 cup "sweet blend" (erythritol and stevia- a mix of different brands)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TBS unsweetened applesauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350*F. Line cookie sheet with non-stick material. Mix flax meal and water; set aside until gelled. In a large bowl combine all other dry ingredients. Combine oil, applesauce, and vanilla to the flax gel. Add to dry ingredients and mix until combine. 

Drop by spoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or so. {I baked about 20.}

Result: I baked half of the dough to start with because they are small cookies. Due to the coconut flour (I'm sure) they were drier than I think the original recipe. I added about 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk to the remaining batter, and refrigerated it until the first batch were done baking. 
I flattened the cookies because they don't rise or 'melt'. They cook the way they drop on the sheet. I wanted to make oatmeal sandwich cookies. 
Why didn't I just use the recipe I have down the page here? Because I wanted something more 'on-plan' with THM. These cookies here would be an S or perhaps S-helper {bordering on crossover, maybe}. Whereas the others are not on plan because of the flours I used. 
Taste is yummy; texture is not so good. Crumbles way too easily.
Edited: After they'd cooled much, they stay together better.

Cream is just heavy whipping cream with stevia/erythritol blend and vanilla.
Edited: I put these in the freezer and yum. They are like ice cream cookies :)

04/30/14: Gluten free, yeast free, milk free oat bread

Long title for a bread. Easier to call it ...bread... Anyway. Here's the link to the original recipe- which I followed mostly.
Here's my tweaks:

3/4 cup oat flour {this is simply oats ground up in my coffee grinder}
1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 cup sweet white rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 TBS chia seeds
6 egg whites
1 TBS ACV
1 TBS honey

I also put the 1/4 cup oats on top. I couldn't figure out why it took so long to cook compared to the instructions on the original recipe. Silly me; I didn't copy the oat flour amount correctly. I only put in 1/2 what was called for! I used the sweet white rice four and cornstarch because I don't have tapioca starch. And I used egg whites because I have egg white powder and not so many whole eggs. I tend to improvise. A lot.

Result: I love the first loaf of this bread. Really. I made it on Sunday or Monday. Texture is really good and if I'd used what was called for with the oat flour it could have been even better! Taste was good. It went well with butter and made a yummy peanut butter sandwich. I didn't try it any other way but I'd think it would be good for a meat sandwich, too. 

I am making it again today. I tweaked the recipe again. I cut the sweet white rice flour and cornstarch in half and added 1 tsp gluccomannan. I also used only 1 TBS chia seeds and added 1 TBS flax seeds. I used the coffee grinder to make meal out of 1/2 TBS of each, so there would be a little crunch in the loaf. And finally I omitted the honey and subbed erythritol instead. {And for some reason I still forgot to make sure I put the right amount of oat flour.}

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04/11/14: Gluten free pizza using Bob's Red Mill GF Pizza Crust mix. 

I followed the instructions for the most part but instead of 2-12 inch pizzas I made 4-6 inch pizzas. I cooked them for a total of 20 minutes, with no toppings. I let them cool completely on a rack and then wrapped three for the freezer and one for the fridge for tonight. 

I topped it with homemade pizza sauce, goat cheese {definitely not a favorite but it'll work} and pepperoni. 

Results: The taste is fine; the texture is a bit tougher than regular pizza but okay. The only problem I had is that my heart rate accelerated after eating and I'm waiting for it to go back to normal. That's a biggie for me. Not sure why that happened. I only bought one package so I think I will see how it goes next Friday to see if it repeats. {Edited: I've not had it again yet. 04/30/14}

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03/30/14 (?): Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cup gf flour
1 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
cinnamon, cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TBS molasses
1/2 cup erythritol
1 egg + 1/3 cup egg white 
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375*F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you use aluminum foil, grease it first.
Mix coconut oil {I melted mine in the microwave}, erythritol, and molasses well. 
Add egg and egg white. Mix. 
Add 1/4 cup almond milk. Mix. 
Add cinnamon, cloves, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. 
Add in flour gradually, stirring until combined. If it's too dry, add the rest of the almond milk. 
Stir in oats. 
Drop by spoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet. Press into cookie shape as these do not spread as the cook. Makes about 3 dozen.
Cook for 10-12 minutes. Cool for a minute or so on the tray, then transfer to rack to cool completely. 

Result: Super yummy! I ate way too many. I put the leftovers in ziplock baggies in the fridge. After they get cold they are a little crumblier than fresh; still good!

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3/21/14: Tonight I want to try to make a gf pizza crust and then use cottage cheese for the cheese. I can tolerate cottage cheese but not regular cheese {go figure}. I really want pizza!

I will use the same gf flour I used in the drop biscuits that turned out so yummy. {Really, I am so making those again!} The crust recipe I normally use is as follows:

2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 TBS oil
1 TBS yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water

Directions: I use hot tap water in my pyrex liquid measuring cup and add the tsp sugar to the water. Next sprinkle the yeast on top. It usually falls into the water and starts to eat the sugar, and within 5 minutes there are bubbles. 

Put all other ingredients in a food processor with the dough blade. When yeast mixture is frothy- it's usually very frothy at just under 10 minutes- add to the flour mix. Pulse processor to get it going, then blend until a ball forms and doesn't stick to the sides. It doesn't take long at all. 

Dump dough unto a lightly floured board. Knead just a few times and then press into a pizza crust shape. Make it the size you want, or split the dough to make individual pizzas. That is usually what I do. 

To make the pizzas, put on a pizza stone or cookie sheet and add toppings. Bake at 450*F for 10-12 minutes. 

For my purpose, I only need 1/2 the recipe. I'll post again later with the result.

Results: Taste was great. The texture was 'wrong'. And I didn't follow the original recipe as written because I've read that it takes more gf flour than regular flour; also, it needed more water. Unfortunately, I added too much water at first. Next time {yep, it was good enough to make again *smile*} I will let the dough attempt to rise before baking; something I don't have to do with regular flour.

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3/17/14: I posted my 'drop' biscuits using the diy gf flour I made but I really need something that is a little more THM friendly. Next up is an attempt at Gwen's Easy Bread, but gf with what I have. Having made the Easy Bread before, I know it tastes good {at least I like it}. Here's to a yummy gf easy sourdough bread.

And... it isn't as I'd hoped. Here is the recipe I used {but I cut it down to half a batch}:

2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup Millet flour
1 cup Brown Rice flour
1 cup Garbanzo bean flour
1 TBS + 1 tsp Glucomannan Powder
2 TBS Instant Rise Yeast
1 TBS salt 

Mix it together. Add:

3 cups warm water

2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar

I mixed it and then let it rise. Then put it in the fridge as per Gwen's recipe. I took it out today and let it 'rise' {it did not} for 20 minutes. Preheated the oven and let it 'rise' 20 minutes more {it still did not}. Then baked for the time called for. It 'rose' about a half inch. Maybe. Photo below.

One thing I am sure of when it comes to gf flours: I do not like garbanzo bean flour. Love garbanzo beans themselves, cooked, canned, etc. Not the flour. Blech!

Result: Nasty. In the trash it went. It was a bit like vomit tasting. LOL. Just being honest here.

Recipes for the Holidays

I found a few recipes that I would love to try this holiday season! They are not all food recipes either

The first that myself and the kids think looks absolutely scrumptious is French Toast Casserole. We love French Toast! We saw this in the latest Family Fun magazine. It calls for putting nuts in the dish but we aren’t a nutty family {well, we are all nuts but don’t like them in our food }

Ingredients:

• Firm white bread {I see no reason why wheat ‘firm’ bread can’t be used}, 12, 1-inch slices cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar {we would use dark brown}
• 1 tsp cinnamon or to taste {I will use all spice and cloves as well}
• 8 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• Maple syrup, for topping {we will most likely use honey but I bet fruit syrup would be yummy!}

Directions:

• Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and spices {for us, cinnamon, all spice, and cloves}. Arrange half of bread in the bottom of baking pan, then sprinkle with sugar mix evenly on top. Add another layer of bread and sugar.
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs then add milk and vanilla until blended well. Pour over bread evenly, starting from the outside moving inwards. Press bread down to coat the bread cubes with spoon or spatula. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. It suggests leaving it over night.
• Heat oven to 350*F and bake casserole for 20 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake until golden brown- about 30 more minutes. Serve warm with your choice of topping.

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The next one is actually good for any time of the year but I may make this for a  gift this year. Shhh! Don’t tell This was actually found at a few places online but specifically this post is what got me really thinking I could do it {originally I found the link here}.

I will modify the Homemade Bubble Bath recipe found at Heavenly Homemakers to look like this:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shampoo {will use Suave kids shampoo or body wash in complimentary scent or unscented}
• 1 TBS glycerin
• 1/2 tsp table salt {I’ve seen it replaced with sugar…I’m undecided}
• Drops of citrus essential oil [EO] {haven’t decided if I will use orange or lemon- bergamot is a good choice also}

Directions:

• In a glass bowl, mix all ingredients but the essential oils until sugar/salt has dissolved.  Add drops of EO until desired scent is achieved.  Use a funnel to pour it into a dark bottle. I wouldn’t suggest using a plastic bottle because it will absorb the EO {and I don’t like plastic} but if that’s all you’ve got, then go for it!

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And the last ‘recipe’ I will share is of stuffing in a pumpkin. I found this at The Sojourner Reviews blog and it just looks so neat. I’ve got to try it!

The ‘recipe’ all depends on the stuffing you choose, really.

Ingredients:

• Stuffing {we will use Stove Top brand}
• Small-to-medium sized pumpkin

Directions:

• Cut a nice circular ‘lid’ from the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and strings from the pumpkin. Prepare the stuffing as directed on package {or how ever you usually make it}. Replace ‘lid’ on pumpkin. Place in oven with other side dishes –like green bean casserole or candied yams {you know, the marshmallow and yams dish}.

The pumpkin is the super cute dish for serving the stuffing out of!

Those are a few recipes for our holidays. Do you have any to share? Feel free to share!

Sourdough … Ready or Not!?

Well, here is a photo of when my sourdough starter was doing what it was supposed to do:

  And then it looked like this (a day or so later):

Still ‘good’. Today, when I am supposed to be able to use it, it had the bubbles on top (but no where near as profuse) but no bubbles throughout the dough.

I decided to use it anyway. I poured all but 1 cup into a mixing bowl (the 1 cup is for my next batch of starter), added about 1 teaspoon salt (most likely less) and two cups of flour. My starter was slightly soupy so I didn’t figure the water would be necessary (guess I’ll find out if I’m right!). After mixing in the first two cups of flour, I added one more. It became too difficult to stir with a spoon so I dumped it onto a 1/2 cup flour pile on my cutting/kneading board. I kneaded that flour into the dough and sprinkled about 1/2 cup more into it while kneading for 5 minutes.

Here’s the dough now:

I ‘wrapped’ a towel around the bottom of the bowl and draped the stripped towel over the bowl. It isn’t cold in our house but there isn’t a warm spot really either. I will check the dough periodically throughout the day…

I hope it turns out good!

Fish- It's What's For Dinner & Lunch

Usually we have turkey, or chicken, for dinner. It's easy and suits our bland taste buds just fine ;) Well, dh would like steak or filet mignon but really...um, maybe he gets what he wants once or twice a year!

I had planned on baked fish for dinner last night but then forgot that I had to bake it. I was running out of time because the kids had 4H (which there wasn't anyone there so that didn't happen anyway) last night. No time for baking. I decided to try my hand at frying it... I recall fried fish from when I was young and honestly that is why I didn't like fish until I was about 27!

Here's my very first attempt at ever frying fish (and I'm 32!) and I must say, it turned out good!

Found a simple recipe for frying fish:

4 fish filets (thawed, if previously frozen and rinsed and patted dry with napkins/paper towels)

1 egg, beaten with 2 TBS water

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

however much garlic powder I felt like ;)

sprinkle of cayenne pepper and black pepper (wanted some flavor)

1/4 inch of oil in medium to large frying pan

Heat the oil on medium. In one shallow bowl large enough to put the fish in, mix flour, cornmeal, salt, peppers, and garlic powder well. In a separate bowl beat egg and water. Coat each fish filet in the egg mix and then the flour/cornmeal mix. Make sure to get both sides coated well with the flour/cornmeal mix.

Once oil is hot enough, carefully place 2 filets in the pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side- until golden brown. Place on napkin/paper towel lined plate to drain the oil.

Since there were only 4 filets it took about 20 minutes total to cook...and less than 10 minutes prep time. 

We had peas to go with the fried fish.

Today we ate a late lunch because... well, I don't know why lol!

I did tell the kids however that if they didn't help me make lunch they wouldn't get any! Think of the Little Red Hen ;) How do you think that turned out?

AWESOME!! Lee made the tuna filling and Fox helped with the biscuits. They like to cook but sometimes, you know, other things seem like more fun (psssh, reading and playing Legos...lol).

For lunch we had what I call Tuna Turnovers. I've probably posted this recipe on here before- it's one of our staple food :)

Preheat oven to 450*

Tuna filling:

2 cans tuna, drained

up to 1 cup shredded cheese

1/2 can olives, sliced

mayo (just enough to make all stick together but it can be omitted all together, especially if you use enough cheese!)

mustard (mostly for flavor- I usually just use about 1 tsp?)

relish (this one sometimes is excluded and replaced with the mustard...and vice versa)

Mrs. Dash

Italian seasoning

Mix all ingredients together. Simple :)

Biscuits:

3 cups flour

1 TBS baking powder

3/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup cubed cold butter

1 cup cold milk

Italian seasoning

Mix flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Pour in milk and mix just until combined. Turn out on lightly flour surface and fold/knead gently about 6 times. Pat out to 3/4 inches thick. Using a large round cookie cutter (2"?) make biscuits. Generally I get 14 biscuits from this recipe. 

With each round, flatten out and put some tuna mix in the center. Fold the biscuit in half and crimp the edges shut. Cook for 12-14 minutes (until golden).

I just now, after making this for close to 14 years, realized that this would super yummy with a fruit mix in the center (without the Italian seasoning in the biscuit mix!). I will have to try that :)

For dinner tonight we are supposed to have personal pizzas but... if the kids want them then they will have to make them... mwuhaaha...mean mom I am ;)

Scrumptous Scones and Better Butter

God commands for us to treat our bodies as a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19)- to care for it and keep it well (as best as we can). I've been thinking on this for awhile now. We are not generally big sugar eaters in our house and a lot of our pastas and breads are whole wheat but I sure do love a Whopper occasionally. Am I the only one? (you there, that's wrinkling your nose- good for you!) :)

The other day I made some mistake scones. I call them mistakes because they were thrown together with ingredients that I had on hand. But as I look back on my recipe- I think these are pretty good for us! Although I'd already posted the recipe I will do so again in this post.

For those who are intolerant of gluten this recipe probably wouldn't work so well for you, although it does have gluten free ingredients, it isn't 100% free.

Here's the recipe for what I'm now calling the Scrumptious Scones*:

Oven 400F, Bake time 12-14 minutes

• 1/3 cup BRM** Brown Rice Flour
• 1/3 cup BRM Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour (which by the way contains Garbanzo Bean flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, White Sorghum Flour, Fava Bean Flour)
• 1/3 cup BRM Flaxseed Meal
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/3 cup whole red wheat flour
• 1/3 cup whole white wheat flour
• 1/3 cup white all purpose regular flour
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TB sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 TB BRM egg replacer (which is Whole Soy Flour, Wheat Gluten, Corn Syrup Solids, Algin)
• 3/4 cup 2 % milk mixed to a thick consistency with 
• 1/4 cup powdered whole milk
• and a good sprinkling of Allspice

The total amount of flour should be 2 1/2 cups. The butter was cubed and cut into the flour, sugar, salt, allspice and baking powder mix. The egg replacer required 6 TB of water which I mixed together and then stirred into the milk. 

It was poured into the center of the dry ingredients and mixed with a fork. On a floured surface it was folded about 15 times and split in two. These two I patted out into circles then cut into 6 (one was cut into 8 for some reason) wedges. I cooked them about 16 minutes in the oven because they were supposed to be 'golden' and at 14 they weren't.


*The original recipe is found in my beloved New Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, 2006, page 128 "Scones"

**BRM stands for Bob's Red Mill. They have these at a local store, thankfully but can also be purchased online. 

I don't usually eat butter or jam on my pancakes, scones, muffins, or even with my oatmeal but I think these would be made perfect with some Better Butter.

Better Butter is something I have grown up with. I found a recipe for this tonight in Laurel's Kitchen handbook (pg 122-123) that is different than the one my mom used. Their recipe calls for:

• safflower, soy or corn oil
• butter
• water
• dried skim milk
• lecithin
• salt

My recipe calls for:

• 1/2-1 cup oil (your choice)
• 1 lb of butter
• salt (optional)

Either way the butter needs to be at room temperature (or fairly soft) and placed in a blender or food processor. Slowly add the oil until all mixed. The Better Butter is better for you than margarine (and arguably better than butter by itself) and it is spreadable straight from the fridge!

Another option for the butter is to make Honey Butter or Jelly Butter. In either of these options, you start with the desired amount of Better Butter and add honey or jam and mix well. Keep this refrigerated.

 

This has been submitted to The Christian Home 

See the latest edition (#7) at The Legacy for Home. Enjoy!