gluten free cooking

Blueberry Pancakes, GF – Yet Fat and Sassy!

Who know it would be so difficult to find a really tasty gf pancake recipe?  Tried a few and found some too dry and some too bland.  It took me years to find ones I really liked.  Fat, tender and flavorful.  I don’t miss my old wheat-based pancakes anymore.  Plus, these are super easy to make; dump and stir.  Sorry, no ready-made box mix used here but I do make 2 half batches for camping trips; just need to add the wet ingredients to create scratch pancakes even camping!  Soon, when I can find the time to figure out the way to do it best, then I will have a bulk dry mix and be ready to make almost instant pancakes from scratch! These beauties are from Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s GF cookbook.  I am generally not a fan of celebrity cookbooks, but this recipe is worth sharing.

shrimp bisque 001shrimp bisque 002

So, try these and you will find them to be fat and utterly yummy.  I put blueberries in mine, but they are good plain and would taste fantastic with chocolate chips added on top!  We sprinkled a little cinnamon in our batter too.

shrimp bisque 003

I think someone already took a bite out of one of these beauties!

Elizabeth’s GF Pancakes

1 cup sweet sorghum flour

½ cup sweet rice flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

2 tbsp. sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. guar gum

¼ tsp. salt

———

1 2/3 cup 2% milk

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla

4 tbsp. butter; melted plus more for griddle frying

Topping: ¼ cup fresh blueberries, sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions: Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix the next three ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well, mix in the melted butter, whisk.  Pour into the dry ingredients, mix with whisk just until no dry shows.  If the batter looks too thick add 1-2 more tablespoons milk and stir up. I heat the griddle while I do the mixing so it is all ready when the batter is mixed; it doesn’t keep well; to get the fattest puffiest pancakes the secret is mix briefly and you have to bake them right away.

Heat griddle until hot, add some butter, I like to use a big kitchen spoon to measure and I do 3 or 4 pancakes on my cast iron griddle at a time. Sprinkle 3-5 berries on top of each pancake and add a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Let them cook until the edges look set; about 2-3 minutes.  Turn with flat spatula turner.  Let cook 1-2 more minutes.  Do not flip again.  Serve with maple or blueberry syrup.

Summer Shrimp Sauté

High summer is the perfect time for a simple sauté of fresh veggies with a light protein like shrimp. Quick, tempting and a super use of your excess cherry tomatoes. I added fresh herbs from my garden and made some long grain brown rice in my InstaPot to serve with it. Refreshing and very nourishing without heavy sauces or cheese. Ready in less than 30 minutes.

This is a recipe for one, just double it if you are feeding someone. Try scallops if you prefer them. Sub in a different kind of squash if that’s what you like. I grew yellow pattypan squash. They are at their best small. This one was just a day from being too big. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. I sliced half of it quite thin so it would cook rapidly. You can use a yellow onion or even shallots in place of the red onion. Please try to get vine ripened local tomatoes, organic if possible. You could use large, diced tomato chunks but add them right at the very last minute. The herbs are simple to switch up, maybe mint and basil? I have to say that thyme and parsley freshly picked are delightful. I used 4 jumbo Argentinian shrimps which are deliciously meaty, and their flavor is reminiscent of lobster. Use whatever shrimp you prefer; fresh and do shell them for easy eating. Enjoy!

Summer Shrimp Sauté

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. light olive oil

1 small red onion sliced into vertical ribbons (from top to bottom)

1 cup of thinly sliced patty pan squash (if seeds are big scoop them out)

1 or 2 garlic cloves minced

4 ounces shrimp, peeled

1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 stalk of parsley finely julienned

zest of half a lemon cut in skinny strips – I have a tool that ribbons off 3 strips at a time

1 Tbsp butter

juice of 1/2 that small lemon

1/2-3/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

brown rice if you want a starch

Directions: Prep the veggies; slice the onion vertically into narrow ribs, removing the very top and bottom. Thinly slice the squash.

Heat a 9-10 inch sauté pan until fairly hot, add the olive oil, when hot add the onion. Stir a minute. Add the squash slices, stir and add a Tbsp of water to help it steam. Stir or flip the squash a few times. Add another bit of water. I cooked this for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic minced and cook 30-60 seconds. Push the veggies to the edges and add just a touch more oil. Lay the shrimps in the open space. Turn after a minute. After another minute add the butter and then add herbs and lemon zest strips and then juice. Stir and add the tomatoes after a minute. Stir well, add salt and pepper freshly ground; to taste. Serve on brown rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Kale Pasta Toss

This colorful pasta dish is pretty healthy and very tasty. It’s a version of a dish I make with Swiss chard. None of that around so I used fresh kale from my garden and some beet greens for that earthy note that is critical to the flavor. Not a difficult dish either. Have enjoyed the original many times in the past 8-10 years.

It showcases roasted cubes of butternut squash and tender kale as well as beet greens. My amounts are somewhat approximate. It will keep a couple days in the fridge. I used gf fettuccine noodles. Don’t overcook them! You could buy pre-peeled and cubed squash to save time. I used some I grew last fall and honestly it didn’t take long to peel and cube it. I suggest you roast the cubes from a whole squash and use as much as you think works for you.  I have made this recipe with thick cut bacon, if that is what you have; go for it.  I got a package of chopped pancetta at Aldi’s pretty cheaply and the flavor is awesome.

Butternut, Pancetta and Kale Pasta

Ingredients:

1 small- medium butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed; at least a pound

3-4 tbsp. EVOL

1 cup or so of diced red onion; one decent sized one

4 oz pancetta, diced

1 lg garlic clove minced

1 bunch tender young kale, rinsed off

A big handful of beet greens, preferably young tender ones

9-12 oz dried gf fettucine noodles.

Good quality Parmesan cheese to grate into the mixture and some on each plated entree

Directions:

Roast the squash; heat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray; spread the cubed squash, drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp of EVOL and ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes; if they are chubby they might take all 60 minutes. Mine this time were fairly skinny so 30 minutes was perfect. Do turn cubes every 15 minutes with a metal spatula to help them cook evenly, a bit of crunch is nice! Start the rest of the recipe as they approach doneness, let them stay warm in the oven with heat off or bake the squash a day before if that works for you. Have done it all three ways. Crunchier if made right before serving.

Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta while you make the kale.  Chop it into 1.5- 2 inch lengths; set the chopped leaves aside separately from the lower stem bits. Heat the EVOL in a large frying pan or smallish wok. Add the pancetta first, cook 2-3 minutes, add the red onion pieces, cook 3-5 minutes until softening. Add the garlic and cook a minute. Add the kale in 2-3 handfuls letting it cook down for a minute before stirring and adding the next third. Add the beet greens with the last third of kale. Cook 2-3 minutes until the beet greens are soft.  Meanwhile you have cooked the pasta to al dente. Add it to the pan with the pancetta and veggies, stir, add the roasted squash cubes. Stir gently. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top; none of that pre-grated crappy cheese please! Enjoy!

swiss chard pasta plated

Not sure where I found this recipe, but it is a keeper; we often enjoy it in the fall as chard and squash are typically fall harvest vegetables.

You could leave out the beet greens if you can’t find them.

Turkey Pot Pie 2.0 Version

If you have any leftover turkey still lurking in the freezer this is an excellent way to use it up. You will need two cups of turkey to make this rib sticking entrée: turkey pot pie.  My version tracks pretty close to that you can find in a 1970’s Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Gluten free though…cause I must! You can toss it together in about 30 minutes and it bakes in 35 more. Your tummy will thank me. I put some celery seeds in the pie crust for extra flavor.  I generally make it with just a top crust which is less calories. If you want the full deal; double the crust ingredients and make a bottom crust too. Your creation will be a delicious and substantial meal for sure!

Notes: you can use light or dark meat or combo. I used baby carrots this time; cut them across into 4 little nibs; they were organic and had a delicious tender flavor.

Angie’s Turkey Pot Pie

Crust:

1 c plus 2 Tbsp. brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)

2 Tbsp. sweet rice flour

1 tbsp. sugar (You will never know it is in there; it makes the crust more flakey)

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 12 small chunks

1 large egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Directions: Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer.  Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.  Add egg and juice.  Mix until it comes together into big chunks.  Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes.

Pie filling

1/3 cup butter: I used ¼ cup plus some canola oil to reach 1/3 cup

1/3 cup white rice flour (or another gf flour)

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1¾ cup good quality gluten free chicken broth

2/3 cup whole or two percent milk

2 cups diced cooked turkey

4 large carrots, diced or 16 plus baby carrots

¾ cup frozen peas (or a ten ounce bag of frozen carrots and peas)

½ to 1  tsp. celery seeds (optional)

Heat butter/oil in large frying pan, add onion, cook 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. While it cooks, cook the diced carrots for 4-5 minutes in a ¼ cup of water in a saucepan, lid on. Then turn off the heat, uncover it and throw in peas, set aside.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the fry pan with the butter and onions, cook 2-3 minutes, stir often. Add broth (I held back about 2 tbsp. to make sure it wasn’t watery) and while it heats keep stirring. Add the milk when the mixture is hot but not boiling, Stir well until it boils and then let it boil one minute, still stirring.  Add the turkey and then the drained carrots and peas, Stir well. Add rest of broth if needed.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out the pie crust thick; just big enough to cover the top of your 9 inch pie pan [about 11 inches] (I always use a glass pan but I am sure you can use a metal one). I like to roll it just 2/3 of the way out and then sprinkle with about ½ -1 tsp. celery seeds. Roll it the rest of the way and the seeds will be embedded in the crust. I like the subtle flavor they add, a touch of really old-fashioned tastiness my mom would approve of!

Pour the turkey mixture into the pie pan and top with the crust. Make sure no crust hangs down; trim to look nice. If you want to go whole hog double the crust recipe and roll half so you can put a bottom crust in before you pour in the filling. Top with your celery seed crust, seal to bottom crust (if you used one) and do cut a few gashes for venting… place pie on a pie drip catcher.  My pie pan is always very full, and that pie drip pan is wonderful for keeping the filling from dripping on my oven.

Bake 30-35 minutes until crust is light brown and the pie is bubbly.

Let the pie cool five to ten minutes before serving.

All you need is a salad, and you have a wonderful balanced meal. Enjoy!

turkey pot pie on plate

 

Brown Rice Flour Mix  (same as King Arthur basic blend)
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

The crust is from Annalise Roberts’ great cookbook: Gluten-Free Baking Classics.

Baked Penne with Sausage

This post got delayed for some reasons I won’t get into; so here it is 2 weeks later. If you get tired of turkey you might want to make this tasty casserole to warm you on a cold fall evening.

Getting chilly this weekend; time for a classic baked entree with a few twists. I kind of thought this recipe was already on my site but nope. I made some for supper tonight and it was delicious, fairly simple to put together and somewhat healthy. You can leave out the mushrooms if you don’t like them, but I love them with the sausage and tomato sauce. I had penne instead of ziti so that’s what went into this recipe. I actually like it better; smaller tubes are better in my opinion. I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce; so much quicker and it was pretty good tasting sauce. This recipe made a big casserole of hearty yumminess! Enjoy.

This is the inside of the casserole as I build it up; just added fried onions on top of ricotta cheese mixture which is on top of pasta and sauce. Rough layers, sort of like lasagna.
Some on a plate before I devour it! I like the penne; ziti is too big in my opinion. This is good tasting comfort food.

Angie’s Baked Penne with Sausage

Ingredients:

1 12 oz box of gf penne (It is not 16 ounce like wheat flour pasta)

1 package of Italian sausage; 5 of them were in my package

1 24 ounce jar of basil spaghetti sauce

1 Tbsp. EVOL

Olive oil gf Cooking spray

1 Tsp each of dried basil and oregano

1 medium onion, diced fine

2 garlic cloves minced

an 8 ounce rectangular package of mozzarella cheese (I find this at Aldi’s and the price is great there too!)

8 ounce can of sliced mushrooms

15 ounce container of ricotta cheese, preferable whole milk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tsp. dried parsely

3 sliced scallions

Directions:

Heat a medium saucepan of well salted water. While it heats put a medium frying pan on to heat; spray it first with olive oil cooking spray. I cooked it about 15 minutes until fairly done; turned it over 3-4 times – every 2 minutes I turned them. Once browned I added 3-4 Tbsp water to help it cook. Cook until 150 degrees inside. Let cool and then slice.

Pour the dried pasta into the boiling salted water. Cook to 2 minutes less than package says. Drain.

Once the sausage comes out of the pan add 1 Tbsp. EVOL and then the finely chopped onions, cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook on low for 1 minute. Pour some of the jarred sauce into the baking dish to just cover the bottom. I used an ovel 2 quart dish with 4 inch sides. Add the basil, oregano, scallions and cooked onion/garlic to the open jar of sauce; stir with a long-handled spoon until mixed in.

Start oven heating – 375 degrees. Mid oven rack. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour ricotta cheese into a medium mixing bowl. Add 2 eggs, dried parsley and grated parmesan cheese, mix well. Grate half the bar of mozzarella cheese with the coarse side of your grater. Slice the other half with a sharp paring knife into 1/4 inch rectangles.

Put 1/3 of the cooked penne in on top of the sauce, top with half the sausage coins, half the jar of mushrooms and then half of the ricotta cheese mixture, the grated mozzarella and a 1/4 of the tomato sauce. then add 1/3 of the penne, then the rest of the coins, the rest of the mushrooms and top with the ricotta cheese mixture and the rest of the tomato sauce Top with the sliced mozzarella. Bake 50 minutes until it is bubbling and hot. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!