With Christmas comes baked ham and green bean casserole. However, since Cream of Mushroom soup is not gluten free and neither are the French Fried onions, it was beginning to look like green bean casserole was going to be out of the question. Thank goodness I was able to find a green bean casserole recipe that I could adapt and make a wonderful tasty glueten free option for Bailey. This one is so good, I will never used the canned soup version again. It takes a little more effort, but in the end it is definitely worth it. The only thing you may miss is that crunchy topping, but we were just fine without it.
Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
8 - 16 ounces sliced mushrooms (we love mushrooms so I used 16 ounces)
2 Tbs. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free baking flour
1 cup milk
2 - 4 ounces shredded Italian 4 Cheese Blend Cheese (amount is based upon preference. I used 2 oz.)
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, snapped in 2-3" pieces, cooked and drained
(I don't know how this would equate to canned green beans since we don't used canned veggies)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray covered casserole dish with gluten free cooking spray.
Heat oil in skillet. Add onions and saute until tender. Add sliced mushrooms. Cook until all moisture has evaporated. Add flour and cook for one minute. Add milk. Stir constantly and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Add cream cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. If your mixture is too thick, you can add extra milk. Fold in cheese and green beans. Pour all into casserole dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
Enjoy your new recipe. I think you will find this to be so tasty, you will want to keep making this with all of the fresh ingredients.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Gluten Free Banana Bread
Here it is Christmas Day! Merry Christmas, everyone! Today was another busy day of cooking. As I began to make sure I had every available counter ready for my day long cooking spree, I noticed six medium sized bananas that were now officially past the "mmm, yummy" stage. So, I decided that I would start the day by making some wonderful banana bread. This is one thing that Bailey likes, but doesn't necessarily want all the time. However, I knew she would appreciate it today, so I set out to make a good banana bread that was both gluten free and very tasty. Success!!! So, here is my recipe.
Gluten Free Banana Bread
6 ripe bananas, medium sized, mashed
6 Tbs. butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. gluten free baking soda
2 pinches salt
2 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a wire whisk, mis together butter and bananas. Add sugar, egg, vanilla and salt. Sprinkle the baking soda over mixture and mix well. Add flour. Pour mixture into two medium glass loaf pans (spray the pans with gluten free coking spray). Bake for 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
You can also add pecans or walnuts to your batter. Since Bailey doesn't like either, we baked one loaf with and one loaf without. Everyone here loves it. We can't even tell it is gluten-free which in my book means it was a success. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Banana Bread
6 ripe bananas, medium sized, mashed
6 Tbs. butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. gluten free baking soda
2 pinches salt
2 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a wire whisk, mis together butter and bananas. Add sugar, egg, vanilla and salt. Sprinkle the baking soda over mixture and mix well. Add flour. Pour mixture into two medium glass loaf pans (spray the pans with gluten free coking spray). Bake for 55 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
You can also add pecans or walnuts to your batter. Since Bailey doesn't like either, we baked one loaf with and one loaf without. Everyone here loves it. We can't even tell it is gluten-free which in my book means it was a success. Enjoy!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Gluten Free Sausage Balls
One of my daughter's favorite foods is sausage balls. The problem was that substituting gluten free baking mix makes them taste completely different. So I was determined to create a recipe that had the same taste as regular sausage balls while making them gluten free. My first attempt was a complete success and no one could tell they were gluten free. I want to share this recipe with you today. This makes a double batch and they freeze great. Just freeze them before baking.
Gluten Free Sausage Balls
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sage sausage
1 lb Jimmy Dean regular sausage
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups Hogdens Mill gluten Free baking flour
1 1/2 Tbs. gluten free baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Let sausage and cheese sit out to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together. (You can do this by hand, but I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the whisk attachment.). Make into balls. Place sausage balls on baking sheet at least one inch apart. If you are freezing them, freeze them on the baking sheet, then put frozen sausage balls into freezer bags.
Bake the sausage balls for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy.
Gluten Free Sausage Balls
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sage sausage
1 lb Jimmy Dean regular sausage
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups Hogdens Mill gluten Free baking flour
1 1/2 Tbs. gluten free baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Let sausage and cheese sit out to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together. (You can do this by hand, but I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the whisk attachment.). Make into balls. Place sausage balls on baking sheet at least one inch apart. If you are freezing them, freeze them on the baking sheet, then put frozen sausage balls into freezer bags.
Bake the sausage balls for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Southern Cornbread Dressing
I had someone ask me to tell them how I make my dressing. The problem is that I don't use a recipe. So, here is my best explanation as to how I make my dressing.
SOUTHERN GLUTEN FREE DRESSING
Double batch of gluten free cornbread, baked and crumbled
6-8 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
4 eggs, beaten
Salt, pepper, sage and thyme to taste
Chicken/turkey broth, amount varies as this is to moisten the dressing
Mix together cornbread, celery, onion and spices. Add eggs and 2 cups of broth. Mix well. Add more broth until well moistened. If you like a more moist dressing, add broth until the dressing is slightly soupy. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until slightly browned. (I check mine after 20 minutes.)
My daughter loves this and no one can tell that it is gluten free.
SOUTHERN GLUTEN FREE DRESSING
Double batch of gluten free cornbread, baked and crumbled
6-8 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
4 eggs, beaten
Salt, pepper, sage and thyme to taste
Chicken/turkey broth, amount varies as this is to moisten the dressing
Mix together cornbread, celery, onion and spices. Add eggs and 2 cups of broth. Mix well. Add more broth until well moistened. If you like a more moist dressing, add broth until the dressing is slightly soupy. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until slightly browned. (I check mine after 20 minutes.)
My daughter loves this and no one can tell that it is gluten free.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
I have been away from the blog for a little while. My daughter is off at college which means that I am not having to do quite as much gluten free cooking. However, the holidays are coming up. This means that I will be doing quite a bit of cooking again. Over the next few weeks, I will be working on some of the things that my daughter has requested or is desperately craving. These are foods taht you and I take for granted.
She wants broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl like she gets at Panera Bread.
She wants a Subway sandwich on bread that is not of the consistency most gluten free breads are.
She wants a hamburger on a real bun.
She misses oreos, twix and milano cookies
She has a craving for Red Lobster's biscuits as well as biscuits and white gravy (made with flour, not corn starch).
She wants to make a waffle in a waffle machine and enjoy fluffy pancakes.
Oh, and two more things...toasted garlic bread and chicken nuggets.
You can see I have my work cut out for me. All of this along with a traditional thanksgiving meal followed by a traditional Christmas meal. Thanksgiving will be easy now that I have pretty much perfected my gluten free cornbread and cornbread dressing. Now I have to perfect making fluffy rolls. I am going to try something new with our Pamela's bread mix. It can be made using a mixer which means that I am going to try mixing it a little more to get some extra air into it before letting it rise. Also before it rises, I am going to be putting carefully removed pieces of the bread mix into muffin tins in order to get my rolls just right. I will let you all know how that turns out.
I am also working on a pumpkin pie for my daughter. I found a recipe for pumpkin mousse that she might like, but it still won't be pumpkin pie.
Finding gluten free recipes is quite easy. I have cookbooks. I can find recipes online. However, as I have stated previously, with my daughter recently needing to be gluten free, she is not pleased with the flavor of most gluten free recipes. I am attempting to make sure that I can take our regular recipes or the things that I cook and recreate them with the same flavor in a gluten free version.
As I said, I will keep you informed about everything that I make and then when I get it right, I will share my recipe with you. Happy gluten free living.
She wants broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl like she gets at Panera Bread.
She wants a Subway sandwich on bread that is not of the consistency most gluten free breads are.
She wants a hamburger on a real bun.
She misses oreos, twix and milano cookies
She has a craving for Red Lobster's biscuits as well as biscuits and white gravy (made with flour, not corn starch).
She wants to make a waffle in a waffle machine and enjoy fluffy pancakes.
Oh, and two more things...toasted garlic bread and chicken nuggets.
You can see I have my work cut out for me. All of this along with a traditional thanksgiving meal followed by a traditional Christmas meal. Thanksgiving will be easy now that I have pretty much perfected my gluten free cornbread and cornbread dressing. Now I have to perfect making fluffy rolls. I am going to try something new with our Pamela's bread mix. It can be made using a mixer which means that I am going to try mixing it a little more to get some extra air into it before letting it rise. Also before it rises, I am going to be putting carefully removed pieces of the bread mix into muffin tins in order to get my rolls just right. I will let you all know how that turns out.
I am also working on a pumpkin pie for my daughter. I found a recipe for pumpkin mousse that she might like, but it still won't be pumpkin pie.
Finding gluten free recipes is quite easy. I have cookbooks. I can find recipes online. However, as I have stated previously, with my daughter recently needing to be gluten free, she is not pleased with the flavor of most gluten free recipes. I am attempting to make sure that I can take our regular recipes or the things that I cook and recreate them with the same flavor in a gluten free version.
As I said, I will keep you informed about everything that I make and then when I get it right, I will share my recipe with you. Happy gluten free living.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Gluten Free Cinnamon Toast Chex Mix
With the need to be gluten free, we discovered that we also have to be very aware of getting my daughter enough carbs because she is hypoglycemic. So, we were told that Chex Mix was a great way for her to get additional carbs when she needed it because of her sugar level. However, Chex Mix is not gluten free and the ingredients to make it at home are not all GF either. So today, I set out to make her some kind of mix that she would like. I know that you can buy cinnamon Chex, but it is different than what I have made. This tastes just like the cinnamon toast that I have made for my daughter all her life.
Cinnamon Toast Chex Mix
7 cups corn Chex
7 cups rice Chex
1 stick butter
1 cup honey
7 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Melt butter. Add honey and cinnamon. Mix with a wire whisk. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Mix well. Put cereal in large mixing bowl. Pour 1/4 of cinnamon mixture over cereal. Stir. Repeat three more times. Make sure cereal is well coated. Put in deep baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Repeat this process three more times. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. When you increase your temperature, set timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir, return to oven and turn the oven off. After about thirty minutes, remove from oven and let cool. It will appear to be stuck together, but will come apart easily. Store in sealed baggies. I have a feeling, though, this won't last
long around your gluten free home.
Cinnamon Toast Chex Mix
7 cups corn Chex
7 cups rice Chex
1 stick butter
1 cup honey
7 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Melt butter. Add honey and cinnamon. Mix with a wire whisk. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Mix well. Put cereal in large mixing bowl. Pour 1/4 of cinnamon mixture over cereal. Stir. Repeat three more times. Make sure cereal is well coated. Put in deep baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Repeat this process three more times. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. When you increase your temperature, set timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir, return to oven and turn the oven off. After about thirty minutes, remove from oven and let cool. It will appear to be stuck together, but will come apart easily. Store in sealed baggies. I have a feeling, though, this won't last
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Cornbread Perfected and Gluten-free Blackberry Jello Cake
Well, I did it. I actually made cornbread today that looks like cornbread, tastes like cornbread, and is the consistency of regular gluten-filled cornbread, but it is gluten-free. I was so excited. So, I want to Share this with all of you. The key to it was my homemade rice flour. I guess the third time really is the charm. Bailey liked the dressing I made from this last week. This week's version of Chicken and Dressing was spot on because I managed to make cornbread that was just like cornbread should be. I am enjoying creating gluten-free versions of some of our favorite southern foods.
One thing I have found discouraging is that when I have looked for gluten-free recipes, too often I find recipes of things that would naturally be gluten-free. I don't need recipes for things like fruit salad, sauteed vegetables, etc. I needed to find recipes for those traditionally southern foods that my daughter has grown to love. Chicken and Dressing happens to be one of those things which was why I was trying to perfect cornbread. By Thanksgiving, I should be able to fix that traditional Thanksgiving meal for Bailey, complete with stuffing, homemade rolls, and her favorite Pumpkin pie. But for now, I am just happy to have figured out cornbread.
One of our family favorites is the old fashioned Blackberry Wine Cake. However, there are many people who will not make it because of the wine part. Because of that, I am also including a recipe for gluten-free blackberry jello cake.
CORNBREAD
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup rice flour (I use my homemade version.)
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using a cast iron skillet to bake your cornbread, spray it with non-stick gluten free cooking spray and place in oven to preheat as well. Mix together all dry ingredient. Add milks, egg, and oil. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet. (regular baking pans do not need to be preheated.) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on plate with a knife underneath to prevent it from sticking to plate.
BLACKBERRY JELLO CAKE
1 Pamela's Gluten-Free White Cake Mix (prepare according to package directions)
2 boxes Blackberry Fusion Jello
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 canister cream cheese frosting, whipped
Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except you need to add one box of the jello to the batter. After it is baked, cool it. While cooling, mix together remaining box of Jello with the boiling water. When disolved, add the cold waret. Once thr cake is cool, use a small dowel stick (or chop stick) to poke holes in the cake. Pour the liquid jello all over the cake, saturating it well. Place in refrigerator to completely cool. Once it is cold, frost with whipped cream cheese frosting. If you can't find the whipped type, use the regular, but whip it with electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. This cake flavor will remind you of the old Blackberry Wine Cake.
Enjoy, gluten-free southern cooks!
One thing I have found discouraging is that when I have looked for gluten-free recipes, too often I find recipes of things that would naturally be gluten-free. I don't need recipes for things like fruit salad, sauteed vegetables, etc. I needed to find recipes for those traditionally southern foods that my daughter has grown to love. Chicken and Dressing happens to be one of those things which was why I was trying to perfect cornbread. By Thanksgiving, I should be able to fix that traditional Thanksgiving meal for Bailey, complete with stuffing, homemade rolls, and her favorite Pumpkin pie. But for now, I am just happy to have figured out cornbread.
One of our family favorites is the old fashioned Blackberry Wine Cake. However, there are many people who will not make it because of the wine part. Because of that, I am also including a recipe for gluten-free blackberry jello cake.
CORNBREAD
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup rice flour (I use my homemade version.)
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using a cast iron skillet to bake your cornbread, spray it with non-stick gluten free cooking spray and place in oven to preheat as well. Mix together all dry ingredient. Add milks, egg, and oil. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet. (regular baking pans do not need to be preheated.) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on plate with a knife underneath to prevent it from sticking to plate.
BLACKBERRY JELLO CAKE
1 Pamela's Gluten-Free White Cake Mix (prepare according to package directions)
2 boxes Blackberry Fusion Jello
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 canister cream cheese frosting, whipped
Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except you need to add one box of the jello to the batter. After it is baked, cool it. While cooling, mix together remaining box of Jello with the boiling water. When disolved, add the cold waret. Once thr cake is cool, use a small dowel stick (or chop stick) to poke holes in the cake. Pour the liquid jello all over the cake, saturating it well. Place in refrigerator to completely cool. Once it is cold, frost with whipped cream cheese frosting. If you can't find the whipped type, use the regular, but whip it with electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. This cake flavor will remind you of the old Blackberry Wine Cake.
Enjoy, gluten-free southern cooks!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Gluten Free Cornbread
Every Southern cook knows that cornbread is an essential food to have on the table. It is also the base for good southern dressing, which is what I was needing to cook today. Don't expect a recipe for my dressing, though. I don't have one, because I just throw it all together. But in order to work my magic and make gluten free dressing, I first had to make a good gluten free cornbread. First try was ok, but too cake-like. Second try is much better, still not quite the same consistency as what I am accustomed, but it is pretty close. I am going to continue working on this in the hopes of hitting the exact same consistency we have had in the past. This looks and tastes like regular cornbread.
CORNBREAD
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup rice flour (I use my homemade version.)
1/3 cup gluten free baking flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup skim milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using a cast iron skillet to bake your cornbread, spray it with non-stick gluten free cooking spray and place in oven to preheat as well.
Mix together all dry ingredient. Add milks, egg, and oil. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet. (regular baking pans do not need to be preheated.) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on plate with a knife underneath to prevent it from sticking.
Enjoy Gluten-free southern cooks!
CORNBREAD
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup rice flour (I use my homemade version.)
1/3 cup gluten free baking flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup skim milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If using a cast iron skillet to bake your cornbread, spray it with non-stick gluten free cooking spray and place in oven to preheat as well.
Mix together all dry ingredient. Add milks, egg, and oil. Pour batter into preheated cast iron skillet. (regular baking pans do not need to be preheated.) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on plate with a knife underneath to prevent it from sticking.
Enjoy Gluten-free southern cooks!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Gluten-Free Chocolate Melting Cake - Delicious!
I guess at this point it is obvious that I have had the day off since this is the third post of the day. However, this was one post that I just couldn't wait to share. I have just modified a recipe for Chocolate Melting Cake and added my own little twist to it. (We like dark chocolate in our house, so that is my twist.)
We have been on Carnival for two different cruises now. The first time, Bailey was not gluten intolerant. This last time, however, she was. The one disappointment she was facing was not being able to have any of their chocolate melting cake. What is really great about Carnival and other cruise lines is that they have anticipate dietary needs. They had a gluten-free chocolate melting cake. Needless to say, it was divine. So, I began my quest to find an equivalent recipe and modify it. I have done just that. So, if you are looking for a great dessert, especially a gluten-free one, this is perfect! (I will include directions to modify it to a non-gluten free recipe.) I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Melting Cake
7 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. dark chocolate chips
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup gluten-free baking flour (1/2 cup all purpose flour for those who can have gluten)
1/4 tsp. guar gum (this is only needed for the gluten-free version)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt chocolate chips and butter together. Mix to blend. Set aside to cool.
While chocolate mixture is cooling, whisk 4 eggs together with the sugar. Add flour and guar gum. Whisk until smooth. Add remaining eggs. Whisk until smooth. Add cooled chocolate mixture.
Coat ramekins or individual baking dishes with a very light coat of oil. (I used olive oil.) Divide mixture between baking dishes. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until it looks done. Baking time will depend upon the size of your baking dishes. Ours are large, so it actually took 22 minutes. Remove from oven. The chocolate inside will be melted. Serve warm and enjoy.
You can dust this with powdered sugar and/or serve with vanilla ice cream as they do on the cruise ships.
We have been on Carnival for two different cruises now. The first time, Bailey was not gluten intolerant. This last time, however, she was. The one disappointment she was facing was not being able to have any of their chocolate melting cake. What is really great about Carnival and other cruise lines is that they have anticipate dietary needs. They had a gluten-free chocolate melting cake. Needless to say, it was divine. So, I began my quest to find an equivalent recipe and modify it. I have done just that. So, if you are looking for a great dessert, especially a gluten-free one, this is perfect! (I will include directions to modify it to a non-gluten free recipe.) I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Melting Cake
7 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. dark chocolate chips
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup gluten-free baking flour (1/2 cup all purpose flour for those who can have gluten)
1/4 tsp. guar gum (this is only needed for the gluten-free version)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt chocolate chips and butter together. Mix to blend. Set aside to cool.
While chocolate mixture is cooling, whisk 4 eggs together with the sugar. Add flour and guar gum. Whisk until smooth. Add remaining eggs. Whisk until smooth. Add cooled chocolate mixture.
Coat ramekins or individual baking dishes with a very light coat of oil. (I used olive oil.) Divide mixture between baking dishes. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until it looks done. Baking time will depend upon the size of your baking dishes. Ours are large, so it actually took 22 minutes. Remove from oven. The chocolate inside will be melted. Serve warm and enjoy.
You can dust this with powdered sugar and/or serve with vanilla ice cream as they do on the cruise ships.
Best Gluten Free Breads
My daughter loves bread, especially homemade bread. Bread has been the most difficult thing to be able to find for her. Unfortunately, the bread she has found that she loved was on our Carnival Cruise. (Thank you, Carnival, for having gluten free options for your cruisers!)
I have gone through all kinds of bread mixes. I was going to make my own but hadn't ventured into it because I still needed to purchase guar gum or xantham gum, both of which I now have. However, after all the mixes and purchasing a variety of gluten free breads from the freezer section at two different stores, we have finally found a bread mix for the bread machine that is fantastic. It is so good that my husband and I love it as well. You can't even tell it is gluten free.
Pamela's brand is by far the best mix we have found. Sure, it cost $5.99 a bag and is not even size loaf like most people get from the bread section of the grocery store, but it is fantastic. Who would have thought that something gluten free would taste so fantastic. It can be baked in the bread machine or in the oven. The directions suggestion is to bake it at a medium crust. The only problem we found when following the directions is that the top crust looks great but the sides and bottom seem to be overdone. I am about to make another loaf today and will set it to a light crust. I think this will take care of that problem. But even if it doesn't, the reality is this: we have finally found a bread mix for the bread machine that is wonderful.
For those of you who don't want to make your own bread, there are numerous options out there for you. They can be found in the freezer section of some grocery stores (I went to Kroger) and health food stores. You will pay anywhere between $4.99 and $8.99 for the convenience. Of all of the brands we have tried, my daughter likes Udi's the best. Udi's has the best flavor and comes the closest to tasting like the regular gluten-filled bread that my daughter can't have. We have even had one bread from a local gluten-free home cottage bakery which my daughter didn't like because it didn't taste like bread and had a sponge-cake consistency.
There is one big catch with gluten-free bread, which I did find out from the owners of the gluten-free bakery. Bread that is gluten free really needs to be consumed within a day or two. Otherwise, it needs to be frozen. Putting it in the refrigerator does not actually extend the life of the bread. Instead, it dries it out. Have no fear though, there is a use for that bread or the bread that is about to be too old to keep. Croutons! I am used to making my own croutons from bread that is going stale and figured if I do it with regular bread, I can do it with gluten-free bread as well. I was right. I will close this post with my gluten-free crouton recipe.
Gluten-Free Croutons
slices of gluten-free bread
olive oil
garlic salt, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
Lay out gluten-free bread slices on baking sheet. Using either a spray bottle with olive oil (this is out new non-stick cooking spray) or a pastry brush, put a very light layer of olive oil on bread slices. Sprinkle with garlic salt and italian seasoning. Turn bread slices over and repeat process. Place on the bottom rack of oven under the broiler for 3 minutes. Turn and return to oven for another three minutes. Remove from oven. Cut into squares and place them back on the baking sheet. Change oven temperature to 275 degrees and return croutons to oven for 20 minutes. You can turn the croutons over during this process, if you like. Turn off oven and forget about them. This will give them time to finish drying out. (This entire process may sound odd, but gluten free bread can be very fragile. It is easier to get them lightly toasted and then cut them followed by the drying process.)
You may need to adjust the time based upon the type of bread you are using. Preslided bread browns slower than the sponge-cake type consistency. If using bread that you can slice yourself, you can have thinner slices which brown easier. Make sure you adjust your time for thinner slices when they are under the broiler.
You can actually use any kind of spice on these. I haven't tried yet, but I am guessing that you could even use some powdered ranch dressing mix to make ranch flavored croutons.
The great thing about these croutons, other than being gluten-free, is that you can't tell they are gluten-free.
I have gone through all kinds of bread mixes. I was going to make my own but hadn't ventured into it because I still needed to purchase guar gum or xantham gum, both of which I now have. However, after all the mixes and purchasing a variety of gluten free breads from the freezer section at two different stores, we have finally found a bread mix for the bread machine that is fantastic. It is so good that my husband and I love it as well. You can't even tell it is gluten free.
Pamela's brand is by far the best mix we have found. Sure, it cost $5.99 a bag and is not even size loaf like most people get from the bread section of the grocery store, but it is fantastic. Who would have thought that something gluten free would taste so fantastic. It can be baked in the bread machine or in the oven. The directions suggestion is to bake it at a medium crust. The only problem we found when following the directions is that the top crust looks great but the sides and bottom seem to be overdone. I am about to make another loaf today and will set it to a light crust. I think this will take care of that problem. But even if it doesn't, the reality is this: we have finally found a bread mix for the bread machine that is wonderful.
For those of you who don't want to make your own bread, there are numerous options out there for you. They can be found in the freezer section of some grocery stores (I went to Kroger) and health food stores. You will pay anywhere between $4.99 and $8.99 for the convenience. Of all of the brands we have tried, my daughter likes Udi's the best. Udi's has the best flavor and comes the closest to tasting like the regular gluten-filled bread that my daughter can't have. We have even had one bread from a local gluten-free home cottage bakery which my daughter didn't like because it didn't taste like bread and had a sponge-cake consistency.
There is one big catch with gluten-free bread, which I did find out from the owners of the gluten-free bakery. Bread that is gluten free really needs to be consumed within a day or two. Otherwise, it needs to be frozen. Putting it in the refrigerator does not actually extend the life of the bread. Instead, it dries it out. Have no fear though, there is a use for that bread or the bread that is about to be too old to keep. Croutons! I am used to making my own croutons from bread that is going stale and figured if I do it with regular bread, I can do it with gluten-free bread as well. I was right. I will close this post with my gluten-free crouton recipe.
Gluten-Free Croutons
slices of gluten-free bread
olive oil
garlic salt, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
Lay out gluten-free bread slices on baking sheet. Using either a spray bottle with olive oil (this is out new non-stick cooking spray) or a pastry brush, put a very light layer of olive oil on bread slices. Sprinkle with garlic salt and italian seasoning. Turn bread slices over and repeat process. Place on the bottom rack of oven under the broiler for 3 minutes. Turn and return to oven for another three minutes. Remove from oven. Cut into squares and place them back on the baking sheet. Change oven temperature to 275 degrees and return croutons to oven for 20 minutes. You can turn the croutons over during this process, if you like. Turn off oven and forget about them. This will give them time to finish drying out. (This entire process may sound odd, but gluten free bread can be very fragile. It is easier to get them lightly toasted and then cut them followed by the drying process.)
You may need to adjust the time based upon the type of bread you are using. Preslided bread browns slower than the sponge-cake type consistency. If using bread that you can slice yourself, you can have thinner slices which brown easier. Make sure you adjust your time for thinner slices when they are under the broiler.
You can actually use any kind of spice on these. I haven't tried yet, but I am guessing that you could even use some powdered ranch dressing mix to make ranch flavored croutons.
The great thing about these croutons, other than being gluten-free, is that you can't tell they are gluten-free.
Gluten Free Rice Flour - from scratch
My daughter, who is 18, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 3-4 months ago. This means that all of my cooking had to change. Thank goodness I am someone who loves to cook, can follow a recipe, and can create something out of nothing. But, it was still a difficult thing to think about since I am also a southern cook. (thank goodness I don't make fried chicken.)
Over the last few months, I have Searched the Internet, read books, and experimented. While I am not an expert, I have been told that I should create a gluten free food blog. I am doing that because the one thing I seem to find is that ate majority of gluten free recipes do not even come close to the taste of the original food with gluten in it. So, my goal is to share some of the tricks I have found and recipes I have modified in order to get the flavor closest to the original.
For this first blog, I want to share a trick with you about making your own rice flour. I watched a video online and followed the directions as closely as possible by using my blender because I didn't have the $200 food processor or grain mill that the woman in the video had. I ended up with some pretty decent brown rice flour. For me, this is the flour that I want to use as the main flour whenever I am making anything breaded. The problem, my blender wasn't quite what I needed. The woman in the video took about 45 - 60 minutes to make the flour. It took longer with the blender. Next I tried a mini chopper. Ultimate failure.
I finally decided I was going to get the grain mill attachment for my kitchenaid mixer. It was going to cost $99.00. Lowes online said that it was in stock in our local store. It wasn't. Instead, what they had is nice Mr. Coffee coffee grinder for $29.95. When I got home, I tried it. I had it figured out quickly. It works. Set it to fine and only fill it up halfway. You can sift the flour after grinding to remove any large pieces that might have gotten through (something even the video lady with the fancy machine had to do). I use this mostly as breading flour. But I still kept one step from the woman in the video, I sifted the flour. It was pretty much just like when I used the blender and much faster. Thank you Mr. Coffee!
Some of my next blogs will have breads, crackers, cookies, corn dogs, Mac and cheese, and more!
Happy Gluten Free Living!
Over the last few months, I have Searched the Internet, read books, and experimented. While I am not an expert, I have been told that I should create a gluten free food blog. I am doing that because the one thing I seem to find is that ate majority of gluten free recipes do not even come close to the taste of the original food with gluten in it. So, my goal is to share some of the tricks I have found and recipes I have modified in order to get the flavor closest to the original.
For this first blog, I want to share a trick with you about making your own rice flour. I watched a video online and followed the directions as closely as possible by using my blender because I didn't have the $200 food processor or grain mill that the woman in the video had. I ended up with some pretty decent brown rice flour. For me, this is the flour that I want to use as the main flour whenever I am making anything breaded. The problem, my blender wasn't quite what I needed. The woman in the video took about 45 - 60 minutes to make the flour. It took longer with the blender. Next I tried a mini chopper. Ultimate failure.
I finally decided I was going to get the grain mill attachment for my kitchenaid mixer. It was going to cost $99.00. Lowes online said that it was in stock in our local store. It wasn't. Instead, what they had is nice Mr. Coffee coffee grinder for $29.95. When I got home, I tried it. I had it figured out quickly. It works. Set it to fine and only fill it up halfway. You can sift the flour after grinding to remove any large pieces that might have gotten through (something even the video lady with the fancy machine had to do). I use this mostly as breading flour. But I still kept one step from the woman in the video, I sifted the flour. It was pretty much just like when I used the blender and much faster. Thank you Mr. Coffee!
Some of my next blogs will have breads, crackers, cookies, corn dogs, Mac and cheese, and more!
Happy Gluten Free Living!
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