Gluten Free Sandwich Bread -Moist!

by In Breads Leave a comment

1 1/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
3 lightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
_

3 cups GF Bread Flour (Flour Blend HERE)
1 Tbs. xanthan or Guar gum
2 1/4 tsp – 1 T dry active yeast (Start with smallest amount and if you didn’t get the rise you wanted try more next time)
2 T ground flax seeds
_

~ Combine wet ingredients in your stand mixer. (The bread works best if wet ingredients are room temperature- or you use HOT water to warm up the mixture)
~ Sift dry ingredients and add it on top of liquid ingredients. Toss in your yeast and add ins.
~ Turn on your mixer with the dough hook and allow to kneed for 2 minutes
~ Let sit for 10 minutes and then turn the mixer on again for another 2 minutes.
~ pour the dough into a greased bread pan (coconut oil works great for this) and let rise for 40 minutes-1hr
~ Bake at 400* until golden brown and sounds just a tad hollow when you tap the crust.
~ Allow to cool for a few minutes first in the pan, then out on a rack until just warm before cutting. Cutting your GF bread too early can cause it to gum up.

~ ENJOY!

*Mostly adapted from Kim’s Whole Grain GF/DF Bread*

Gluten Free Flour Blend (Bread)

by In Breads Leave a comment

(to purchase these flours, I like Authentic Foods best on Amazon HERE)

EQUAL PARTS:

  • Tapioca Starch(Flour)
  • Sorghum flour
  • Super-fine brown rice flour
  • Super-fine white rice flour

THEN ADD:

  • 1 TBS Xanthan or Guar Gum
~ mix briefly, then sift all ingredients together twice. Store in an air-tight container and use in any GF bread recipe.
**For a pastry flour, increase starch or add a secondary starch such as corn or potato starch (maybe by half?). Increase Gum product only SLIGHTLY**

Kombucha

by In Drinks Leave a comment
Materials
  • Gallon Jar or non lead-based crock
  • Linen or cloth napkin that will fit completely over top of jar or crock
  • Rubber band to go around neck of jug or crock
  • 16 oz Bottles (or mason jars if you do not want to fizz it)
 Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup Sugar ( White, Coconut or Sucanat sugar)
  • 4-5 tea bags (black or green- organic is best)
  • 3 Quarts of Filtered water (NOT distilled)
  • 1 Cup Kombucha Starter (a Scoby + 1 Cup Kombucha)
  1. Wash all utensils in hot soapy water and rinse well.
  2. Boil the water and add the Sugar for a few minutes before taking off the heat.
  3. Add the tea bags to steep for 10-20 minutes. (or longer)
  4. Remove tea bags and let cool completely. (squeeze excess tea out to not waste it!)
  5. Pour cooled tea into your gallon container, add your 1 Cup of Kombucha and your scoby- smooth and shiny side-up.
  6. Place your clean cloth over the mouth of the jar and secure with a rubber band. This will keep un-wanted mold and yeasts out.
  7. Place your jar in a ventilated darker place without direct sunlight for 6-15 days.
  8. You will notice soon a new scoby forming on the surface. Start tasting your tea after 1 week.
  9. When your tea is ready, filter through a cheesecloth or milkbag and either bottle, or put in jars in the fridge – Making sure to leave 1 Cup tea to begin your next batch with!

SECOND CULTURING 
  • When you place your kombucha in the fridge, either put some whole fruit in your batch to flavor it as it sits, or add fresh squeezed juices.
  • To fizz your Kombucha, stop the culturing process a day or so early (while it still has a tiny touch of a sweetness left), add your fruit or juices when you bottle it, then let it ferment in your pantry for 1-3 days.
  • If second culturing in your pantry, MAKE SURE TO BURP IT (slightly pop the lid and re-close) every day so it does not build up too much pressure. Place in the fridge once you like the fizz and flavor.
** Recipe from www.culturedfoodlife.com**

Mom’s Ice Cream- Creamy Dairy Free

by In Desserts Leave a comment
1 liter of Almond or Coconut Milk
       (Charity uses 2 cans Trader Joe’s full Coconut Cream with 1 Cup added Almond Milk)
8 Egg Yolks
200-250 grams Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean or 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
      (A little cornstarch, guar gum, or some little thickener makes it creamier, but it isn’t necessary.)
      (You may also add some kind of cane syrup for smoothness–40 grams–but then use the 200 grams of sugar so it isn’t too sweet.)
~~~~~~~~~~
– Bring to a boil the milk, half the sugar, syrup, the vanilla bean (sliced and scraped)  and stabilizer (cornstarch, etc.) Let it Infuse a bit.
– Beat the egg yolks and gradually add the rest of the sugar. Add slowly some of the hot milk while stirring the yolks. Return all to the saucepan and pasteurize. (Heat to 85 degrees Celsius).
– Pass through a sieve, if you like, pour it into a clean metal container, cover the surface with plastic (touching the Crème Anglaise) and chill quickly. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
– Use a churn ice cream freezer.To Make your own almond (or Coconut/Cashew) milk, blend almonds and water until you have a strength you like. Just chop up the meat and put it in a blender with some water. Pass these through a Milk Bag.

Chocolate GF Cake, Moist

by In Desserts Leave a comment

2 cups GF flour blend
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 cup milk (regular or almond are what I’ve used)
1/2 cup oil (I use safflower but any oil is fine)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water or hot coffee

Combine all ingredients. Mix by hand and scrape down sides of bowl. Then place on mixer and mix on medium speed for 2 min. Take off mixer and add hot liquid. Mix carefully by hand until well combined. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 325 for 20-25 min.  Recipe will yield 2 8 or 9 inch cake pans.

My GF flour blend is 1 pound cornstarch, 1 pound tapioca starch, 1 pound sorghum flour, 1 pound brown or white rice flour, and 1 pound of almond or oat flour. I just mix that all together well and it’s good to go!

Gluten Free and Grain Free Crêpes

by In Breakfast, Desserts, Healthy Snacks, Main Courses Leave a comment

1 1/3 Cup Tapioca Starch
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
8 eggs
1/4 Cup oil
1 Cup water or almond milk

– Blend together all ingredients until smooth and LET SIT 30 minutes
– Pre-heat crêpe pan and season with coconut oil.
– Pour 1/3 Cup batter into skillet and swirl to coat pan.
– When the sides begin to pull away from the skillet, flip crêpe briefly and then slide into plate.
– Fill with whatever you like.

Baked Oatmeal

by In Breakfast Leave a comment
  • 4 Cups Oats
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 Cups sugar plus some for sprinkling on top
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/4 Cup water (or almond milk)
  • 1/2 Cup Oil
Pre-heat oven to 375*. Blend all ingredients well and pour into a greased 9×13 in casserole dish and sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake until a knife comes out clean. About 15-20 minutes. Serve warm in a bowl with milk poured over it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Charity’s version: Add 1/2 Cup almond butter,  1/4 Cup chia seeds and a few shakes of cinnamon to recipe. I also use Coconut sugar and Stevia instead of normal sugar.

Pecan Lace Cups

by In Desserts Leave a comment

– ¼ C. firmly packed light brown sugar

-2 Tbs. light corn syrup

-3 T. Butter

– ¼ C. Flour

-1/4 C. chopped pecans lightly toasted (optional)

 

(preheat oven to 375 degrees)

 

  1. Combine sugar, corn syrup and butter in saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Whisk in flour and pecans,  remove from heat.

 

  1. Place in 1tsp to 1Tbs size mounds on parchment covered baking sheets. Bake at 375 until lightly browned, 4-8 minutes.

 

  1. Cool 1 to 2 minutes. While still warm and flexible, drape over inverted tart tins (or spice jars, shot glasses or anything small that works). Cool. If cookie hardens too fast, place back in oven for a second to soften.

 

  1. Fill with whatever you desire! My favorite is strawberries with whipped cream and fudge sauce to top it off!

Szobody Lasagne

by In Casseroles, Main Courses Leave a comment

 

(Note: this recipe is usually done without measuring and only to taste. So these measurements are approximations. Please feel free to mess around with it until it tastes right to you!)

 

SAUCE:

1 Large can tomato sauce                                                             1 C. Sweet red wine (or Marsala)
salt                                                                                                         ½ C. chopped bacon
pepper                                                                                                 ½ – 1 Lb. Ground Beef
Oregano to taste (a Tbs.?)                                                           3 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
2 Tbs. Olive oil                                                                                   1 small onion, chopped

1- Sauté ground beef until well browned with enough pepper and salt to taste like sausage (a bit spicy). Add bacon and continue sautéing until bacon is also well cooked. (it does not need to be crispy)

2- Is a separate large saucepan, heat tomato sauce with pressed garlic, oregano and olive oil on medium. While sauce is heating, sauté onion, then add to sauce.

3- Add meat mixture to sauce and let simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Add wine and simmer 1 more minute.

(Tip: Make sure both the sauce and meat taste ‘perfect’ separately before combining together. It is easier to fix whatever might be “missing” without the confusion of all the flavors combined, and once the 2 taste amazing the mixing of them will only make it better!)

 

SOFT CHEESE FILLING:

 

1 medium container soft cheese (ricotta, sour cream, mascarpone or goat cheese)
Approx. 8 oz grated cheese (mozzarella, or I prefer a mix of cheeses)
1-2 eggs
1-2 tsp. Oregano
1 clove garlic

-Blend all ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside.

 

ASSEMBLY:

 

1 box Lasagna noodles
Grated cheese (16 oz ?)

1-      Preheat oven to 350⁰

2-      Heat large pan of water until boiling. Add a few lasagne noodles at a time, making sure they don’t stick. When they are almost done but have a slight snap in the center still when bitten. Remove from water and add the next set of noodles.

3-      While noodles are boiling, prepare a casserole dish with a thin layer of sauce in the bottom so the noodles won’t stick, then put one layer of noodles down side-by-side, cutting noodles if needed to completely cove the bottom of the pan.

4-      Gently spread cheese mixture in a thin but solid layer on top of the noodles, using fingers or 2 spatulas if needed to keep noodles in place.

5-      Spread equal amount of meat sauce over the cheese layer evenly to the edges.

6-      Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 until you reach about 1 cm below the edge of the pan (usually about 3 layers of everything)

7-      Top with grated cheese.

 

Cover with foil and bake until there are bubbles seen rising around the edges of the pan. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is nicely browned. Remove from oven and let set 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy

Vanilla Ice Cream

by In Desserts Leave a comment

 

4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
5 C. milk
4 C. cream (or 5 :))
2 Tbs. Vanilla

  • Beat eggs with sugar until thick and very light in color. Whisk in remaining ingredients.
  • Pour into freezer container of ice cream maker and proceed with maker instrudtions.