gluten free

Healthy Honey Spiced Yam Casserole

I started making this side dish over 10 years ago, have made it for a number of holidays.  We had it one Easter Saturday along with a big roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, the whole chicken dinner complete with challah bread which was a first for me gluten free and an almond honey cake with candied lemon peel slices and fresh raspberries.  But with all the yummy food, this humble side dish was sort of the star.  There was very little left and most of us had seconds.  So, I figured it was time to share it; now you have it for the next time you make a big meal and want a simple yet yummy and healthy side dish.

I love it because it is healthier than most yam/sweet potato casseroles.  It is free of gluten, grains, eggs and refined (read white) sugar.   If you use something other than butter it can be dairy free too.  No tons of butter, marshmallows or cup of brown sugar.  Less than a quarter cup of sweeteners make this a good choice for pre-diabetes.  I do use the coconut oil; adds a subtle flavor I love.

And it is so easy to throw together. Just peel and dice up the yams, mix up the other ingredients in a small saucepan and pour over, bake and enjoy.  So easy but the flavor is subtle yet very pleasing.  I use 4 large yams but I often use 5 or 6 smaller ones. You can double it easily; actually have a post doing just that.  Simple, tasty and healthy; side dish home run!

Honey Spiced Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes or yams
1/4 c. butter (or coconut oil, for dairy-free)
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. honey
2 t. molasses
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/2 – 1 t. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash sweet potatoes, peel if you like (it’s not all that necessary), chop into uniform 1/2 inch cubes, and place them in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Over low heat, melt the butter and coconut oil. Stir in the honey, molasses, and spices. Drizzle over sweet potatoes, than sprinkle with salt. Stir to evenly coat, then bake for about 1/2 hour, or until potatoes are fork tender. Suggest that you stir it up once or twice while it bakes so that yummy sauce can sink into every bite of yam. Enjoy!

It shrank a bit in the pan but still a nice amount of delish to share. Looked fantastic before I took it to the luncheon; darn but I forgot to take a picture….

Bratwursts From Aldi’s are Still the Best!

This re-post is one of my most popular posts ever. I don’t think any other product review even comes close. We had them for supper tonight. As great tasting as ever. So here it is again!

I bought the package of 4 uncured Bavarian bratwurst at Aldi’s. They were pale and unexciting looking in the shrink wrap but when I pan fried them in a bit of olive oil they browned up nicely. Each brat was still juicy and tender with a delicate flavor I was very impressed with. bratwurst

I have bought brats before at other grocery stores and found them rather dull and pedestrian. These are thinner, longer and far tastier.  bratwurst packageUncured means they have less junk added in the curing process of many sausages.  Definitely a yummy and healthy-ish choice for sausage in any recipe. They cook in about 8-10 minutes. They make a quick supper with some pan-fried potatoes and a veggie. And grilling them is on the package as an alternative to the frying pan. I need try them on my grill. Maybe for camping next year…

They are imported from Germany, and I have heard that they are very authentic compared to most of the brats made in the USA. I give these an A plus in every category. Enjoy!

Originally posted June 2018.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie… Classic Pie of Late Spring: Easy to Make GF

It is the peak of local strawberry season and rhubarb is still plentiful right now, so this was a perfect pairing for adaptation to a gluten free pie recipe.  This is an easy pie to construct, and you can store any leftover crumb mixture in a sealed container in the fridge; it keeps a few weeks.  The GF crust will work for any pie and the GF crumb topping is perfect for any crumb pie.  If you prefer a solid crust just double the crust part and top your pie with it.  Be sure to cut some slits for steam escape!  strawberry rhubarb pie

Please make every effort to use local strawberries; you can get them at most farm stands from now to about June 10th.  This pie really showcases the strawberries more than the rhubarb which is a silent partner so that is why I suggest you get the best; locally grown sweet ripe strawberries to make your perfect pie.

Bake and enjoy June in a delicious pie in just a few minutes of work.  Don’t eat it hot; it should be cooled to room temperature or even chilled. I ate it both ways and liked it either way.  I am guessing you could top this with vanilla ice cream.  Maybe next time.

Angie’s GF Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

Crust:

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

2 tbsp sweet rice flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 6 chunks

1 lg egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Spray a 9-inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.

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 while you chop the rhubarb into ½ inch chunks and hull/slice the strawberries.

Filling:  strawberry rhubarb raw

2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and cut in thick slices

2-3 cups cut up fresh rhubarb – place in medium bowl

Mix with

½ to 2/3 cup sugar ( I used ½ cup but I guess some like things really sweet so I gave a range of sugar amounts.)

1/3 c gluten free flour mix (see below recipe or use any you like: I actually used a mock Better Batter flour for this pie filling.)

Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper, try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered.  Remove other slice of wax paper.  Crimp edges all around.  Fill with dry strawberry – rhubarb mixture

Crumb topping

Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.

¾ c brown rice flour mix

½ c sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks

Sprinkle the top of the pie with the crumb mix; use as much as you like.  I like about ½ to 2/3 of the mixture.  Up to your personal taste… It sinks partially into the fruit mixture and adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.

Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 40-50 minutes until bubbly and the crust is light brown.  Cool at least 2 to 4 hours before serving at room temperature.

Brown Rice Flour Mix
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

Drip is Delish!

The other evening we decided to try out a local eatery, Drip The Flavor Lab Restaurant on Main Street in Hellertown. It is a burger and fried chicken joint and much of the menu can be made gluten free for those who need to eat gf. We got there at peak time around 5:40 on a Saturday evening. The place was packed! All seats taken, people still coming in. We ordered using a fun printed menu that you fill out with a pencil and turn in at the counter. We stood around sharing a snifter class of classic hard cider while we waited for a table to open up. the cider was a classic apple (no sugar added) cider and had a lovely, bubbliness, yet quite crisp and oh-so drinkable. We people watched, and just enjoyed the vibe. Our food got out in decent time and by then we had secured seating at a high top table.

I had the classic Drip burger with slaw and Joe ordered his with all sorts of additions like jalapeno pepper slices, lettuce, tomato and bacon which he swore to me he didn’t order! Plus an order of fries. He ate the whole burger! And some slaw they accidentally gave him as well as fries. I confess I ate a fair amount of the fries; they were in a wire basket and were hot and so crispy. They stayed warm a long time which I loved. My classic burger had just katsup and cheddar cheese. These are smash-burgers which someone eating there told me that they add butter as they fry so they have a rich flavor and a crispy exterior. Mine was perfect; just pink inside and it was so juicy yet crisp. The fresh gluten free bun was smaller than my meat patty but that was no problem. I loved every bite of this awesome burger. The slaw was nice although I like it with lots of green; it was all white pieces of cabbage; ate every bit. 

We shared a second glass of the hard cider; there was a large selection of beers on tap and some hard tea and mojitos. My guy was wishing for a lager but seemed quite content with the bubbly cider. They messed up the add-ons to his burger a little bit but honestly he loved it just as it came out. Prices are not far off other burger joints, not cheap but I feel we got great quality and we enjoyed the hopping atmosphere in this small eatery! That said, it was a bit crowded; the waitress said that Saturdays are their most busy nights. Folks came in and picked up take-outs, meals were rapidly coming out of the kitchen and tables were reset and more folks seated. You might want to try it on another night when it isn’t quite so jammed. Also, I didn’t know they had ice tea and lemonade until we were done. and cold water in a cooler. The front staff is very friendly and accommodating. I simply loved my burger; now I want to go back for the fried chicken! They also have floats and milkshakes…

I didn’t have my phone on me; left in the car so no meal pictures. Look them up on line at https://www.driptheflavorlab.com/  so you can view the menu and hours; they close at 8; a bit early and on Sundays; its 7 pm so don’t turn up late…. I definitely felt they cater quite nicely to those who need to eat gf, I didn’t feel deprived or end up eating bland, sad food as some places do for gf meals. If you live in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania this is a great burger place!

New Pasta Choices

I think I am going to write a regular post on new products or one’s folks may be missing in the store. This one is on pasta. The other week I was in Trader Joe’s and got some wide pasta, tagliatelle. In the past I have bought similar shaped noodles on Amazon for a ridiculous price, and it was nothing that amazing. This store brand pasta is great looking and at a super great price. It will pair well with a chunky meaty ragu and you won’t even miss that darn gluten!

Next, I looked at the cassava-based orzo; purchased at my local Shoprite and is a shape that is very hard to find in a gf format. Orzo is particularly great in soups; I have missed it in mine… I made a chickpea pasta soup this week and used gf orzo for the pasta; it was great to have it the right size already; no breaking up elbow pasta that is in a Ziplock baggie. Which gives you irregular jagged bits and pieces, certainly not what you really want in your soup?

I just made the classic tuna casserole but without the canned soup goop. Instead, I made a scratch white sauce flavored with sautéed onions, celery, garlic and peas plus a hint of dill week. Mixed with the par cooked pasta and 2 cans of drained solid white tuna it was somewhat sad looking. I topped it with partially crushed Shaar Company crackers, like Ritz crackers but gf. then I drizzled melted butter over the crackers and baked it for 25 minutes. It became all crunchy buttery crumbs that elevated my delicate white sauced tuna into a delicious treat. I don’t actually remember when I last made a gf tuna noodle casserole. That’s because so often it is a goopy dull mess of that canned sauce and sad noodles. this is just an elegant and tasty version I know I will make it again and again. One cavoite; I think I will cook the noodles less so they are definitely underdone before assembling the casserole. Mine were a tad overcooked when reheated the next day so undercooking is the way to go.

I will try the capellini another time; only so much pasta I eat these days. I am looking forward to it! If you don’t have a ShopRite near you try the store with the biggest gf section; most likely place to find these tempting pasta shapes.

There are so many more gf pastas than there were 11 years ago when I had to go gluten free. Get out there and try some; it makes all the difference to a recipe to use the right size and shape of pasta and it adds variety to what you can make. Enjoy!