Saturday, November 26, 2011

Autumn Salad {Gluten Free}


I saw this on Pinterest and thought it would be great for Thanksgiving. Oooh the flavors in this are great, toasted pecans, smoky bacon, tart and tangy cranberries, sweet pears with the feta. I was able to find gluten free dressings for this recipe. It's delish.


Autumn Salad {Gluten Free}
as seen at Espresso and Cream

6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
8 slices thick-cut (gluten free) bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 C. Poppy Seed Salad Dressing (Brianna's is GF)
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinaigrette (Wish Bone is GF)

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Combine poppy seed dressing and balsamic together. When ready to serve, drizzle over salad.

~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp {Gluten Free}


I made these for our Thanksgiving lunch/appetizer/snack time. They were my splurge for everyone. I adapted the recipe for gluten free but if you're not GF, go ahead and use the regular ingredient. The only issue I had with these is, 1 Tablespoon of the crab cake mixture was almost too much per shrimp, so I recommend using a little less or you may not have enough for all the shrimp. They were a great 2 bite appetizer. I had, oh...a few. =)


Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp {Gluten Free}
slightly adapted from Taste of Home

20 uncooked jumbo large shrimp (about 1 pound)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup soft (gluten free) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend (Mrs. Dash is gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash cayenne pepper
1 (6 ounces) real lump crab meat, drained if canned
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika

Peel and devein shrimp, leaving the tails on. Butterfly each shrimp along the outside curve (cut almost all the way through). Open shrimp flat and place butterflied-side down in a greased or parchement lined 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasonings. Stir in crab. Place about 1 tablespoonful of mixture over each shrimp; sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Serve warm. Yield: 20 appetizers.



~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes {Gluten Free}


Wow, these were SO good. The frosting may just replace my cream cheese frosting recipe. For this recipe, I was not able to pipe all the cupcakes, so if you want a pretty swirl you may want to double or triple the recipe because you may just eat it all. The cupcakes were wonderful and soft and this recipe is so easy. These are a keeper.


Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes {Gluten Free}
slightly adapted from Gluten Freeville 
Makes 1 dozen cupcakes

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup gluten free brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking power
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
dash salt


Cream Cheese Frosting (for 12 cupcakes)
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powered sugar
6 TBL butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375°. (350' convection)
2.Beat eggs & sugar together. Add pumpkin, flour, baking powder/soda & spices.
3.Pour into muffin cups. Bake 13 to 15 minutes. Cool.
4.Whip together cream cheese frosting. Spread onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice.

~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Pumpkin Pie with a Coconut Pecan Crust {Gluten Free}

(I love the DOF my new camera gives)

Here's a great recipe for a nutty crust, perfect for a pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving. I thought this would be a nice change from the usual pastry crust we have with pumpkin pie. This crust is chewy from the coconut and a lovely nuttiness from the pecans. I used my favorite pie filling from Libby's site. I suppose you could use regular all purpose flour if you are not gluten free.

Coconut Pecan Crust
from Gluten Free Goddess

Prepare a 9-inch Springform pan by lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut (Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used my bread mix)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons butter

Place all of the dry ingredients into a food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add in the butter and pulse several times in short bursts until the crumbs are moist and begin to fall away from the sides of the bowl.
Dump the crumbs into the cake pan and spread them evenly. Using your fingers gently press the crumbs across the bottom and up the sides- about 2/3 of the way up.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 7 minutes- to set.
Remove the pan and set aside. Make pie filling.

(the lens I have is hard to focus sometimes)


Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie
from very best baking

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.)  Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.)  Evaporated Milk
1 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell (above)

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten Free}


Mmm, cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. Gluten free chocolate chip cookies, and no one will ever know they are. Really, my cookie jar is already about gone, from them eating them. These really came out good, they're a soft cookie. Mine didn't really flatten out like hers did, my scoop remained scoop shape, so I smooshed the rest with the bottom of a cup. Either way they're fine. What I found to be different with this recipe is you add the sugars with the dry ingredients, you don't cream them with the butter. I followed directions, and found that they seemed a little gritty (not bad), so I think next time I will cream them together. So if you have any gluten free friends, show them these cookies or surprise them and make them a batch. =)


Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten Free}
from Make It and Love It

1 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
12 oz. chocolate chips (I used Nestle milk & white)

First, place vanilla, eggs, and butter in mixing bowl. Mix well.
Then add your dry ingredients one at a time, mixing in between each one: sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and then the flour. Mix the dry ingredients in really well.
Then add the chocolate chips.
Using a small scooper scoop out onto lined baking sheets.
Bake in preheated 350 degree (F) oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. (mine took about 11 minutes)


~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Crispy Tofu with Veggies and Noodles in a Sweet and Spicy Soy Sauce


Ok, I am finally going to post this, I have shared about it on Facebook so much lately. It's become one of my favorite lunches (because no one else here would eat it). The recipe is taken from Steamy Kitchen's cookbook (pg. 111) and of course I changed it up a little (making it gluten free now), added some veggies and noodles making a meal of it.

Crispy Tofu with Veggies and Noodles in a Sweet and Spicy Soy Sauce
slightly adapted from Steamy Kitchen

4 TBL low sodium Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
4 TBL honey
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sambal oelek
1 TBL crushed garlic
14 oz block firm tofu
Veggies of choice (mushrooms, bean sprouts, bok choy...)
Cooked Asian rice noodles (or soba/ramen if you're not GF)

Combine Tamari, honey, sambal oelek, and garlic. Set aside.
Drain tofu, slice into 8 thin slices, lay on paper towels and press to drain out excess moisture.
In a hot skillet, heat about 1 TBL canola oil. Add tofu slices and let cook for 4 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain oil. Cut into bite size pieces.
In the same skillet, heat a little oil and add selected veggies and let cook until softened (can add a tiny bit of water, cover pan w/lid), about 3 minutes.
Using the same hot skillet, add the sauce and let it boil for a few seconds, turn off heat and add tofu and noodles, gently toss to combine.
This will give me 3 lunches worth.

(this is with ramen noodles, bell pepper & green onion curls, not GF)


sautee up veggies

let sauce simmer with tofu, add veggies

ready to add noodles


~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread


One thing I was sad about going gluten free was no more bread. Well thank goodness for all the sites out there providing GF recipes, I found this one and am honestly enjoying it. This is the first GF bread I've baked so I can't compare it to any other recipe. I did buy a big GF name brand's hot dog buns for a sandwich roll, and boy those were just horrible. Stick with this recipe, you'll enjoy it more.


So you make up some GF flour mix and it'll be enough to make about 3 loaves, maybe more. I used some of it for some pizza muffins (another post) so I can't be sure on that. Anyways, it's fairly easy to make, you mix it up in your mixer and pour the dough into the pan. It is a runny dough so don't be alarmed. My first loaf took only 15 minutes to rise in a warm oven but my second loaf, another day took longer so keep an eye on it. I used the oven directions below. Once done and cooled, I slice it up then wrap it well and freeze it. I take out what I need that morning or night before so it'll be thawed (keep it in a baggie). It stays super soft even if you don't eat it the next day. I even made a sandwich w/mayo and all on it and it held up just fine a few hours later when it was time to eat. So if you are gluten free and looking for a good bread to toast or have a sandwich on, give this a try, I promise.

*I just made another loaf, and after slicing it, I placed 2 pieces of bread in a baggie (this loaf gave me 12 slices, + extra end pieces to make bread crumbs) so I just have to grab a baggie out of the freezer to thaw, instead of prying each slice apart when frozen.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread

1 Tbsp. bread machine yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)
2 ½ cups gluten free flour mix (see below)
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1tsp. salt
3 eggs (or 9 Tbsp. water and 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed)
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar

1. Start by combining the yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Add the water while gently stirring the yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients – bubbles and foam should form if the yeast is happy.
2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in the largest mixing bowl and stir well.

3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.

4. By this point the yeast mixture should be foamy, so you can pour the two liquid mixtures into the flour mixture. Blend the dough with a mixer for 4 minutes.

Bread Machine Directions:
Scoop your dough into the bread machine and smooth the top of the dough. I bake my bread using an 80 minute setting that allows for 20 minutes of kneading, 18 minutes of rise, and 42 minutes of baking. However, since I don’t use the paddle in by bread machine, I’m effectively doing a 38 minute rise and a 42 minute bake. (The advantage of not using the paddle is that you don’t end up with a hole in the bottom of your bread.)

Conventional Oven Directions:
Scoop the dough into a greased loaf pan (I also recommend adding some parchment paper, in case the loaf sticks). Allow the dough to rise in a warm area until is is about 1 inch from the top of the pan. Then bake at 375 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.

For more notes on this recipe, read her post here.



Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3 parts brown rice flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
3 parts corn starch
2 parts soy flour, sorghum flour or garfava flour
1 part masa harina

I used a 1 cup measure, so I end up with 3 c. brown rice, 3 c. cornstarch, 2 c. soy flour and 1. c. masa harina.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. (If you’re new to mixing flours, then you want to make sure that you don’t see any clumps or streaks of indiviual flours. By the time you’re done it should be one homogeneous bowl of flour.) Transfer the flour to a canister or other storage container.



~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Crock-pot Chicken Tacos {Gluten Free}


I don't have many crock-pot recipes posted here, because honestly I haven't found many that we like enough to keep making. This will be one to keep. I normally do not like dark meat, but this was great, in fact I really liked it. This makes plenty, we had tacos (used corn taco shells to make this gluten free) one night, then cheese and chicken quesadillas another night (flour tortillas for them, and for gluten free you could try brown rice tortillas?), then the rest I'll use for chicken tortilla soup some other night.


Crock-pot Chicken Tacos {Gluten Free}
adapted from Disney Family.com

2 small cans green chiles, diced
1 jar salsa, (about 12 ounces; mild or spicy to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 whole onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper, to taste

Place chicken in the bowl of a slow cooker, season with a little salt and pepper. Top with salsa, diced green chiles, cumin, onion and garlic. Cover and set on low. Cook for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from pot, shred, then add some of the juices with chilies. Spoon chicken into corn taco shells or flour tortillas with whatever toppings your family likes. Or use the meat to make burritos, tostadas or as a filling for enchiladas.

Heat tortillas with shredded cheese, add drained chicken taco mixture and create a quesadilla.



~Be sure to follow my recipe blog so you can get all the latest goodies!~

enjoy,
Pin It!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...