Blueberry!!

This morning, I made one of my favorite gluten free treats!  Blueberry Buckle!

I use the recipe directly from my betty crocker cookbook, and where it calls for 2 cups flour, I use a mix of 4 different kinds of GF flours (1/2 cup each), and a tsp-ish of xantham gum.  For the topping, where it calls for 1/2 cup flour, I just use rice flour.

Wow, it always tastes as good as I remember (I don't have a chance to make it very often).

Bread, from the Bread Machine

I still have yet to develop my own recipe for the bread machine. It's really a challenge! (But I'll keep trying and let you know...)

But here's a loaf I made today with the 365 Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Mix. (That's the Whole Foods store brand). It's almost the same mix as the Gluten Free Pantry Sandwich Bread Mix. They are the only two mixes that I have had any success with. And they both ALWAYS come out right.

Hello, Sandwich!

What's to eat Underground?

Here in the Underground, life gets a little busy.  I saw someone put up a tweet the other day asking for ideas of GF things to eat that are "quick, easy and not Amy's".  I love Amy's.  I found some great prices on Amy's frozen dinners at Kroger this afternoon.  The Rice Mac'N'Cheese was 2.89 (the best price I've found in Raleigh), and the Rice Lasagna was 2/7.00 (3.50 each). 

That said, what else is there to eat?

Well, lots of things.  This weekend I had Singapore Noodles from a chinese restaurant (one of the few dishes without SOY SAUCE).  Corn Chips.  Yogurt.  Jello.  Fruit Smoothie.  The other day I had a Glutino Pizza Crust pizza.  Today I've got some bread in the machine for the upcoming week.

My little brother thinks a gluten free blog is a little bit silly.  Because he doesn't really feel like he goes out of his way to find GF things to eat in his life.  He said, "come on, just have your corn chips, grits, and eat plain other stuff like meat, vegetables, rice and potatoes."  You know, he's right.  There are times that I think to myself, there's no need to blog any of this stuff, it's so obvious.  

Ten GF things that are amazingly easy to find/make/eat:

1. Corn Chips (I dip in salsa, guacamole, plain greek yogurt, or hummus)
2. Rice. It only takes 20 minutes to cook rice.  Serve with butter, or Mrs Dash, or other seasoning.  Combine with any vegetables and it's a great side or light meal.  Put extra in the fridge for later.  Sometimes I'll eat plain rice with butter, even for breakfast.
3. Tuna Salad. Mix a can or pouch with real mayonnaise (check label to make sure it doesn't have modified food starch) and relish.  Spread tuna salad on GF bread for a sandwich, or onto gf rice crackers.  Nut Thins are awesome crackers for this.
4. Personal Pizza.  Use either a Glutino Pizza Crust* (see note below), piece of GF bread, half a GF French Roll or English Muffin from Trader Joe's, or your choice any other bread product.  Spoon spaghetti or pizza sauce onto bread or crust, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake in oven @ 400 until all cheese melts.  Broil about another minute, to make the cheese bubble, if desired.  Also easy to make in a toaster oven, or even a microwave (careful in the micro, though, it will prob. turn out mushier).
5. Fresh fruits and vegetables.  This week I had a bag of oranges that I was enjoying one a day.  Apples are very good anytime.  Celery and carrots.  Melon.  If you're not eating enough of these, go out and find a cool new vegetable/fruit cutting board and big knife.  Then you'll want to use it--and just from excitement you'll be bringing home all kinds of pretty new produce.  You can throw these into recipes too.  Have them both ways. 
6. Hummus.  Anything goes with hummus.  These days, they have all kinds of amazing flavors, such as:  roasted garlic, red pepper, basil, cilantro, white bean, etc.  I eat it with corn chips, baby carrots, any other veggie or chip.
7. Yogurt.  Just double check the ingredients to make sure they don't have modified food starch.  I think Breyers used to be OK, but now it isn't.  (anyone know?)  But I've been trying to move to the organic yogurts more and more, and lower sugar ones.  Most of the time, I've just been getting plain greek yogurt.  You can add any fruit, fresh or frozen (I esp. like fresh apple pieces, frozen raspberries or cherries).  Honey too, if you are into that.  It's wonderful stuff, and very good for you (lots of probiotics).
8. Soup (homemade).  I don't know anyone who can't get a carton of GF organic/low sodium broth, a bag of frozen vegetables, a chopped onion (also available frozen), a couple cut up potatoes, a can of tomatoes (and leftover meat, or a ham bone, etc).  Put everything into a big pot and cook for an hour or so.  Vary with whatever's in season or make with any variety of beans or lentils.
9. Salad (oh, yeah!) Any to-go salad or bag of greens will do.  Some ideas: add fresh grilled chicken, salmon or veggies--mushrooms, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, julienne carrots, etc. (**Just watch out for the dressing.  Assume that all dressing is EVIL (GLUTEN) unless proven otherwise--esp. watch for Modified Food Starch.  Read the ingredients.  I usually enjoy Maple Grove Farms dressings). 
10. Any cut of meat, poultry or fish.  Seasoned any way you like, just without CARAMEL COLOR or MODIFIED FOOD STARCH or SOY SAUCE (also found in TERIYAKI).  Grilled, broiled, baked, etc. etc.  Of course!  So simple, yet so good.

There you have it. Mix and match any of them for a delicious meal.  It doesn't have to be hard.  Just leave the pre-made foods out of it.  Simplify.  It's easier than it sounds.

*Glutino Pizza Crusts.  A few years ago when I first tried these, I was very disappointed in them.  I felt that they came out very DRY from the oven.  They seemed flavorful enough (they have tons of sodium, so they must taste good), but just dry.  I hate dry foods...so I discovered this Underground Tip: Rinse the crust (both sides) in warm/hot water when you take it out of the freezer, for about a minute.  Then, turn the crust upside down and douse it in water, set it on your cookie sheet/pizza pan.  Soak like this for about 5 minutes, until the water seems absorbed.  No longer or it will be soggy.  Flip over, cover with sauce, cheese, toppings.  Bake until cheese melted all over (about 12-15 min) @ 400.  Tell me if this works for you!  It's really good to me.

Mexican Rice

I said I had some recipes up my sleeve.  You will love this.  When I make this recipe, I usually double it (approximately), and never freeze any.  That's because I can count on myself eating it all up right away.  Pretty much, I just use large portions as meals, often with sides of plain frozen veggies (broccoli, mixed vegs, peas, green beans, etc).

Mexican Rice

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup broth (usually chicken)
• 1 cup tomatoes--chopped, diced, whole, whatever, & juice (canned or fresh)
• chopped onion (1/3 cup or more, about 1 medium onion)
• oil--3Tbsps?

Heat oil in skillet or saucepan.

Add rice and stir until white (be careful not to burn--keep stirring).

Add onion, broth and tomatoes.

Bring to a boil. 

Turn heat down to simmer.

Cover and don't lift lid for 1/2 hour.

Enjoy!

This recipe is from my Aunt Loretta, who got it from her friend of Mexican heritage.  It's so simple, yet so good.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  

Underground tip:  I usually go heavy on the onions.  MMMM, flavor!

Black Beans and Rice

I am adding this post to The Gluten Free Homemaker's "What's for Dinner Wednesday" --Hope everyone enjoys some Beans-n-Rice!

One of my favorite GF recipes is one that I had been making long before I knew that gluten was killing me. One of my friends got a crock pot in college, and made this for a party--actually, a Jazz party. Anyway, it was amazing and I was hooked.

I make this in a 2-quart crock pot.

• 1-lb dry black beans (one bag), or 2 (16 oz.) cans beans
• 4 cloves minced garlic (or 5-6 tsp. from a jar)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 medium carrots
• 1 can tomatoes (14-16 oz.) diced or stewed

• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. Hot Sauce (Tabasco, Texas Pete, etc.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda, if you have hard water (when using dry beans)

• 4 c. vegetable or chicken broth
• enough water to fill up the crock pot
• 2 or 3 cups cooked rice

Chop the vegetables, rinse the beans, then put everything (except the rice!) in the crockpot and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours, until beans are tender. The beans will never get soft enough in hard (city) water if you don't add the baking soda, I have learned.

Feel free to skip one or two ingredients that you don't have around--I often skip the celery or carrots, depending on what's in the fridge. You could probably add stuff like green peppers, too. Good luck.

Anyway, once the beans are soft, it's time for the rice. The first serving, I serve the beans over the rice (as in photo), but after that I mix all the remaining rice into the bean mixture and freeze individual portions for lunches.

*****

Underground tips: Use the baking soda, seriously. Also, while cooking in the crock pot, the bean stew will seem pretty spicy to taste (and I usually overdo the spices on purpose). You want that, because when you add the rice, it will dull the flavor somewhat.

Serve with Tabasco, shredded cheese or sour cream. Maybe even a little fresh cilantro. Mmm.

Pancakes at home

My car is getting fixed this weekend, and I have been needing rides from friends to get to gigs this weekend. This also means I have had to make due with eating what I've got on hand. I'd like to share with you a recipe for pancakes I came up with yesterday. It was quite good.

I have noticed lately that a lot of bloggers are saying they hate using rice flour, due to its grittiness. I agree that Bob's Red Mill rice flour is gritty and ruins a lot of recipes. But I think it is because they do not grind theirs finely enough, not because there's something inherently wrong with rice flour. It is possible to get flours that are finer, and I usually buy big bags of rice flour at the Indian market. Yeah, it's from a foreign country, but so are a lot of other foods, and how do we really know how much "cleaner" or "safer" food from the USA really is (think of the peanut plant in Georgia). So at this point, I am working with this flour and hoping American producers and suppliers improve their products and prices (step up production, to lower prices). And for the time being, this flour is a lot cheaper than Bob's...

Pancakes:

• 1 cup flour (this time I used 2/3 c. Rice, 1/3 c. Teff)
  
• 1 tsp. xantham gum
  
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
  
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/3 cup almond milk (you can use dairy milk, soymilk, whatever)
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together, mix wet ingredients together, then combine.

The vanilla makes all the difference.

Pour into pan and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until they start to dry on top, then flip. Serve warm.

I added some frozen blueberries to the second half of the mix, so I had both plain and blueberry. This made about 9 medium size pancakes. I froze the extras in individual bags of 2 or 3, which I'll heat up for early morning breakfasts this coming week.

Tasty GF Eatin!

Hey Blog Readers!  So sorry it's been a while since I got a chance to post!  I've missed you!

A few weeks ago, my laptop and camera were stolen, so I was unable to blog properly for a while.  But I got that straightened out, and now--armed with a new camera and borrowed laptop, I am ready to tell you about the great stuff I've been cookin' up!

Here's a pic of the coffee cake I made, which was from a recipe right out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, substituted with Whole Foods GF flour blend.  It worked very well!  

Also, I have made homemade mushroom soup, which I have been enjoying with toasted Trader Joe's Gluten Free French Rolls.

Tonight I experimented with a pizza/flatbread crust, but I didn't get it exactly right.  I will have to try again (bake it a little longer before adding toppings, and/or modify the ingredients a little).  But the toppings were so good--fresh mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of italian sauce, topped with a light covering of mozzarella cheese, that I enjoyed it thoroughly anyway.

I am on the road for a couple days, so I am packing the cooler with yogurt cups, carrots and Trader Joe's White Bean and Basil hummus, coffee cake, and pizza.  Pretty sure I won't have to eat out, which is nice because I know 100% that I will not be glutened!  And...think of all the dough that will stay in my pocket!

See you on the highway!

Perfect Nacho Bean Dip

• 1 can refried beans
  
• about 1 cup Medium or Hot salsa
  
• shredded co-jack cheese (optional)
  
• 1 bag corn chips

Empty can of beans into microwave safe dish, pour salsa on top.

Cover. Cook in microwave 2 mins, stir.

Continue cooking until heated through in 30 second intervals, stirring between.

When this is hot, sprinkle cheese on top and melt in microwave (about 30 seconds).

Serve immediately w/corn chips, or keep warm in the (regular) oven @ 200 until your guests arrive.

Underground tip: Seriously, do not even consider using mild salsa. The beans really take the edge off the spices in the salsa. Whenever I've used mild salsa, the dip winds up tasting bland. The above recipe, made with Medium salsa, does not seem spicy at all (so don't worry if you don't like spicy food), but instead it tastes flavorful and delicious!

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This is great for parties, because it's fast, easy, and there's a lot to go around. But--this travels well for road trips (no cooler needed), and after say, a 7:30 to 10pm rehearsal, it's a substantial snack/mini-meal that you can make, which many of my friends have enjoyed sharing with me!

Bon Appetit!

South of the Border Grilled Cheez

A recipe for you:

Heat skillet, spray lightly with Pam.

• add 1 soft corn tortilla
• sprinkle with cheese (I use co-jack shredded cheese)
• add 1 soft corn tortilla

heat through, and flip, once the first side is crisp.
then crisp the 2nd side.

Possible names for this recipe: Corn Quesadilla, Tex-Mex Grilled Cheese, Mexican Grilled Cheese, South of the Border Grilled Cheese, etc. (Or, if you have another idea for a name, post it in a comment! Maybe it would be a fun contest--name the recipe?).

I garnish with and/or dip this in:

• salsa
• sour cream
• guacamole
• enchilada or mole sauce.

Can be served with a mexican lettuce salad, tomatoes, etc. Or refried beans and mexican rice (I will post a great recipe for that soon). Or just plain.

A package of 36 tortillas (33oz): 2.49

Shredded cheese: 2.89

15 cheap, easy, delicious snacks or meals in about 5 minutes: Priceless.

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Other underground happenings:

Been inspired by Celiacs in the House to make pizelles! I used her recipe: 2/3 cup GF cake mix, 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp Oil, 1 Tbsp Vanilla--and they came out amazing!

I have been thinking a lot about eating GF easily, inexpensively, and our current economy. We all really should be thinking about ways to save...we just never know what's around the corner...I keep hearing of more and more family, friends and people in the community who are without work. So I hope I can provide a few good ideas...while at the same time, don't get me wrong--I do feel it is important to support quality products that we want to keep available on the market.

Souper Duper Alphabet Soup!

Check out this savory edible delight!
This vegetarian vegetable soup will warm your soul from the inside out.

Oh, did I mention it tastes great? And it's not that hard to make, either.

This is one of my favorite things to make, and it can either feed a lot of people (e.g. family, army, etc), or you can freeze portions for later. More to come on that.

First things first. What do you need and what do you do?

Exact quantities will vary depending on the size of your soup pan. Pretty much, whatever fills up the pan, or however much you want to make. When I make this, I use a 6-qt pot.





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Ingredients:

2-3 medium onions
2 Tbsp oil, or so

3-4 potatoes
2 small (14.5 oz) cans or 1 large can stewed tomatoes
4 to 6 cups of water
2 cans of beans (garbanzo, kidney, etc.)
1 bag frozen mixed soup vegetables

2 Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon cubes
Salt, to taste
1/3 package Mrs Leeper's Alphabet Pasta (about 2/3 cup) (or any other pasta)

Directions:

Cut up onions and saute in the oil over medium-low heat. When onions are clear, add the cans of tomatoes, bouillon, and add just enough water to fill the pot just a little over 1/2 full (4-6 cups?). Turn up the burner to medium high.

Wash potatoes and cut into about 1/2" pieces (I cut the potatoes while the onions cook). Add the potatoes. Add the frozen vegetables. Open the cans of beans and rinse in a collander. Add the beans to the pot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer on medium-low about 30-45 minutes until vegetables look tender. Taste the broth and add salt if needed.

When the soup looks and tastes like soup, add pasta. Cook until tender (12-15 min). I love this with Mrs. Leepers Alphabets. It's just like being a kid all over again. Hooray!

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Underground tip: When I finish cooking this, I divide up into individual servings in containers. I reuse containers from the store, which is FREE, and saves the environment by reusing instead of discarding or even using energy to recycle. Usually just a little over a cupful in each container is about the right portion for a meal for me.

Then I freeze the containers, and voila! I have 9 lunches (and two other large containers for the fridge). So over the next few weeks, one choice for lunch at work is soup, or any time for dinner at home. I cook one evening, and get nine other meals I can make in about 3 minutes in the microwave. This thinking ahead saves me time and money, and it's been working for me for years. So that $12.95 on lunch becomes 12.95 in my retirement account or rainy day fund. Surprise, you're gluten free, and saving money! Who knew?

Oh, and for those of you wary of using plastic containers. I live my life on the edge, so I just cook these right in the plastic container in the microwave. BUT you can allow soup to thaw slightly and then you can just pop it out of the container into a glass bowl, or pan on the stove.

Gluten Free, (can be Casein Free) Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Hey, some of the packaged GF cookies are really great, such as PAMELA's, in the box or in the bag. I especially like the Lemon Shortbread cookies from Pamela's, which I keep in the freezer for a crisp, cool treat.

But here is the recipe for the cookies I pictured in the last blog. I was on the road literally every day last week and just didn't have the time to type it up. These might be some of the best cookies you ever eat, gluten or not. And they take only a little time, and minimal effort.

In addition to being cheaper than store-bought GF cookies, doesn't homemade always taste better?? I think even my grandmother would have approved of these.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (like Tollhouse)

• 2-1/4 cups flour (1 cup Rice, 3/4 cup Corn, 1/2 cup Millet)
• 1 tsp. Xantham Gum
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda

mix the above dry ingredients. Then, in another bowl, combine:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine (I used Vegan Buttery Sticks)
• 1-2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs

Mix the two bowls together. Add one 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, bake 8-10 minutes. These came out awesome. I don't think I'll ever need another recipe.


Underground tip: When you bake cookies, remember that because they are so hot in the oven they continue "baking" after you take them out. I take the cookies out once I notice the top appears dry all across but not any later. This way they do not overbake and dry out. They are soft and delicious.

Going Bananas

I mentioned that I used to drive 35,000 miles/yr the last couple years. Fortunately, I don't have to do that anymore. But I am on the road this week. Every evening this week I have rehearsal about 1-1/4 hour away from home. This is a challenge to eat well because I get home from job #1 and have about an hour to eat/pack/email/etc. then straight out the door, onto the highway, to job #2.

Leave home at 7:30, get home from job #1 at 4:30, leave for job #2 at 5:30, return home at 11:20.

Then write a blog.

So, how do you I eat gluten-free on the go?
Lunch, at job #1 (microwave available at lunchtime):

• Frozen lentil stew (from crock pot that I made last week)
• Frozen green beans
• Yogurt
• Banana

Dinner(?) between #1 and #2:

• Finish leftover tomato basil pasta
• Apple
• Banana Bread (See recipe and photo)

But I wasn't that hungry, because it was only 4:30. So, road snacks to fill in the gap:

• One slice banana bread in a ziplock
• bag of Ener-G gluten free pretzels
• one yogurt
• Fruit leather
  
• Soynuts

I only ended up eating the fruit leather, banana bread and yogurt. but I had some choices!

So that worked out for eating today. I will be having an overnight later this week and will talk about some things I take in a cooler.

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Here's my recipe for Banana Bread, which is scrumptous, and easy.

• 2 cups Flour (1 cup Rice, 1/2 cup Corn, 1/2 cup Sorgham)
• 1 tsp Xantham Gum
• 1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Blend together the above. In another bowl:

• 2 Eggs
• 1-1/2 cups Mashed Bananas (4 or 5)
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup Cooking Oil

Spray a 9" loaf pan with Pam. Mix the two bowls together. Fold into loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until knife comes out clean.

Let me know what you think!

First and Foremost: LA PIZZA

First of all, upon diagnosis, you think of everything you will never have again. Oh, how depressing.

Probably the first thing that comes to mind: PIZZA. It used to be so easy to just dial up the pizza joint (or order online) and voila! there was dinner.

Believe it or not, it seems that the days when you can order up a gluten-free pizza are just around the corner. If not already here, in some metropolitan areas. So there's no reason to be depressed!

But here is one of the most important basic recipes to keep on hand. This has passed the test of approval by wheat-eaters. Very much like the homemade pizza mom used to make us back in the 70s and 80s when it was too expensive to order pizza (much like the direction of our economy today). So save yourself a few bucks and cook this one up at home!


* * * * *

3 cups GF all-purpose flour blend
(I use 1 c. Rice flour, 1 c. Potato flour, 1 c. Corn flour)

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. xantham gum

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Sauce and toppings

* * * * *

Blend the flour, sugar, salt, xantham gum and yeast (works very well to mix in a gallon size ziplock bag).

Put the flour in a bowl, add the water and oil. Mix with a wooden spoon, and then knead as much flour into the dough as possible. I usually add a little (a tablespoon or two) extra water to moisten. Dough should be moderately stiff but smooth and elastic.

Cover and let rest at 10-15 minutes.

Get one large jelly roll pan (this is a cookie sheet with edges). Grease or spray the pan with PAM. Press the dough into the pan. Cover with Italian sauce, mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings (I like mushroom and onions).

Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees, or until edges are golden brown.

This is actually just an adaptation of a recipe in my famous-name, generalized cookbook.

Underground tip: After enjoying this delicious pizza, cut the remaining pie up into 3" squares and place pieces in ziplock bags. Freeze. Now you have a week of lunches, or food for your cooler when you go on the road!