Bob’s Red Mill GF Sugar Cookie Mix
Not bad—especially once they’re iced. They taste a lot like shortbread and my husband and I both think they’re pretty good!
This mix warns you that the dough will be crumbly… it is. I thought it was hopeless before I rolled it out. But if you follow the directions carefully they turn out just fine!
Merry Christmas!!
Gluten-Free Homemade Green Bean Casserole (Martha Stewart recipe, modified)
Well the holidays are here and things like green bean casserole (with its gluten-filled cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onions) are off limits because—oh wait! This delicious recipe is gluten-free! Yes, it is time consuming, but it’s delicious! I made everything the night ahead and just had to bake it the next day. I took the dish to a potluck last week and it was a hit with everyone :)
Ingredients:
6 TBSP unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 lb fresh or button mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepepr
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/8 cup cornstarch*
1/4 tsp xanthan gum*
2 TBSP GF All purpose flour (Bob’s Red Mill)**
2 cups milk
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup GF bread crumbs (I chopped up a piece of Udi’s gluten-free white bread)
1/4 cup canola oil
4 shallots, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rings
*The cornstarch is my substitute for a 1/4 cup of flour, and the xanthan gum helps thicken the sauce.
**I just subbed this for 2 TBSP of regular flour that is used to coat the onion rings. Bob’s Red Mill GF flour works really well!
Directions:
-Skillet: Heat 2 TBSP butter. Saute onion 4 minutes, then add red pepper and mushrooms. Saute 8 more minutes and add half the salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
-Boil water in large saucepan. Cook green beans 4-5 minutes. Then, plunge beans into prepared ice bath (a bowl with ice cubes and water) to stop the beans from cooking. Drain beans and add to mushroom mixture.
-Melt 4 TBSP butter in a small saucepan. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup of milk, then add to saucepan. Whisk 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk, whisk for a minute, then add the xantham gum and whisk 2 more minutes. Add remaining salt/pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine, remove from heat, and cool at room temp. Pour over bean mixture, toss to combine. (See photo.)
-Butter a 9x13 glass baking pan. Spread 1/2 bean mixture, then add 1/2 the parmesan cheese, spread remaining bean mixture, and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs. Cover with foil and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
-Onions: Heat canola oil in skillet on medium-high heat. Toss shallot rings with GF flour. Fry shallots in batches, turning frequently, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Store in airtight container until ready to serve.
-To bake casserole: Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (or until hot and bubbly). Uncover, add onion rings, broil for 30 seconds. Serve.
Enjoy!
Gluten-Free Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
If you’ve tried Betty Crocker’s GF yellow cake mix and were disappointed like I was, do not underestimate how perfectly that mix works for these moist banana cupcakes! The frosting is like a billion calories but it’s SO good. (I decorated each cupcake with a piece of fresh banana too!)
Banana Cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker gf yellow cake mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
2 tsp gf vanilla
Combine all ingredients until moistened. Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes. (I did 16—careful not to dry them out!)
Peanut Butter Frosting (the recipe called for regular Jiff peanut butter, but I used Jiff natural creamy peanut butter—I think either one works just fine.)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp margarine (at room temperature)
2 cups confectioners sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
Mix peanut butter and margarine on low speed for 30 seconds (until fluffy). Add only 3 tbsp of the milk, the confectioners sugar, vanilla on low for 1 minute, then increase speed to medium and blend for 1 more minute. (Then, add the extra milk if it’s too stiff.)
Spread onto cooled cupcakes with a knife (or, do what I did—which unfortunately caused the frosting to resemble feces—and pour frosting into a ziploc bag and then cut one of the bottom corners and squeeze the frosting out in a circular motion).
Enjoy!
Gluten-free Vegetable Gumbo (Vegetarian)
Here’s the deal: I took a nutrition evaluation for my health and human performance class… turns out half your lunch and dinner plate every day should be veggies! I decided to make this big batch of soup so we could eat it before or with future meals (my husband won’t touch salad). It turned out great and we really like it!
From: Somewhere on the internet… I don’t remember. No photo—why? This stuff tastes a lot better than it looks. And it’s nice and warm during these chilly days (it’s probably also like 2 calories per serving or something). So make a batch to serve with a salad or sandwiches or as an appetizer to any meal! I will say this recipe is pretty big, so if you only want 4-6 bowls, cut it in half.
Vegetable Gumbo
2 TBSP oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-32 oz. cartons vegetable broth
1-16 oz. bag sliced frozen okra
First, sautee the onions and garlic in oil for a couple minutes. Then, add the broth and sliced okra. Simmer 1 hour. Then, smash the okra against the side of the pot with a spoon, and add:
2-16 oz. bags frozen mixed vegetables
1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. each, thyme and sage
salt and pepper to taste
(I also added some greek seasoning for extra flavor)
(You can add 3 shredded cooked chicken breasts if you want to make this more substantial.)
Simmer 1 more hour.
Enjoy!
CILANTRO ALL THE THINGS
This is what I order at every mexican restaurant (when I don’t think their fajitas will be good). Naturally GF and amazing!! (With fresh lime, of course!)
Gluten-free Old-Fashioned Meatloaf (with Mashed Potatoes, corn, and green beans)
This meatloaf is seriously so good. And I love that you don’t need to get any ingredients at a health food store.
I got the recipe from Gluten-Free Made Simple. The mashed potatoes are from scratch, and I make them how we made them at the restaurant where I used to cook. (I’m not going explain how to make corn and green beans—I figure you can make those on your own :)
Get the meatloaf in the oven first:
- 2/3 cup Corn Chex (I use Honey Nut Chex because I always have it on hand, and it adds a great flavor!)
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup cooked white or brown rice (go with brown—you need the whole grains)
- 2 eggs
- 3 TBSP ketchup (Heinz is gf)
- 1 tsp dried parsley (plus, sprinkle more on top before you bake it!)
- 1 tsp finely chopped onion
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 pepper
- Sauce: 1/3 cup ketchup mixed with 2 TBSP brown sugar (Double this! If you don’t, you’ll wish you had more sauce on your portion of meatloaf.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients (after crushing the Chex by placing it in a ziploc bag and using a rolling pin). Start mashing ingredients together with a spoon or spatula, and finish the job by mashing them with your hands. It’s gross, but it works.
Shape meat into two small loaves on a baking sheet (or just use 2/3 of all ingredients in this recipe like I do and use a regular loaf pan.)
Make sauce in a separate bowl and spoon it onto the meat. Add a sprinkle of dried parsley and bake for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile…
Peel a few potatoes and then cut them into equal sized, small pieces.
Throw them in a pot and add water. Boil the potatoes until they are soft enough to be mashed.
Drain potatoes, then add some milk, margarine, salt, and vegetable seasoning.
(This is how we made them at the restaurant I worked at. No measurements, just taste tests. If it needs more of something, just add it! You can’t beat classic homestyle mashed potatoes.)
Don’t worry about gluten-free gravy—these don’t need gravy at all! Just some salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
What’s gluten?
Gluten is the protein found in wheat. People who cannot have gluten basically just have a small intestine that freaks out whenever this protein passes through. Bad digestive problems are the immediate result, but over time the individual will experience symptoms of mal-nutrition. Why? Because the celia on his or her intestine has become irritated and has flattened out in rebellion, making it unable to absorb vital nutrients. This can lead to a variety of bad things such as hair-loss, paleness, lethargy, and even infertility.
The above photo is a list of ingredients that contain gluten. You read it and probably think, “So…everything I eat all the time.” Yep. But have no fear—-corn is here. Rice is too, and they will be very helpful (and sometimes unnoticeable) substitutes!
*One note: I am gluten intolerant—I do not have celiac disease. This is a more serious gluten allergy, and some folks with this disease can’t even use the same cooking utensils that have been within a mile radius of gluten. Many celiacs will not touch oats of any kind, but for me, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats are just fine.
gf
as in gluten-free, not girlfriend. And I’m gonna be blogging my successful gluten-free recipes (with photos, of course!) because tumblr seems pretty short on good gf blogs that are consistent, helpful, and realistic.
And if any of you out there are interested in feeling less bloated, eating “healthier” all around, and losing a few pounds, start making easy gluten-free changes in your life and you’ll look and feel better!
I’ll say first that I’m a big fan of naturally gluten-free substitutes, like Corn Chex in meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs, etc. I live in a tiny midwest town where no one’s even heard of a health food store, so besides my bimonthly 1-hour drive to a health food store, I am at the mercy of Wal-Mart.
I’m also a college kid who’s married to a college kid so we definitely have a food budget. We eat well, though, as you will soon see :)
