Best GF Cornbread EVAR!

1 Cup ground corn meal

3/4 cup rice flour (use the sweet rice flour)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1  1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn kernals

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Mix the corn meal, rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, soda/baking pwdr and xanthan gum in a bowl and set aside.  Put butter, eggs, sugar, vinegar and eggs and mix until a bit frothy.  Add dry ingredients and mix together.   Then add corn and  buttermilk.  Heat medium size skillet (heavier is better, cast iron is best) on stove until hot.   Put a bit of oil (1-2 Tbsp) in the skillet and swirl to cover all surfaces.  Then put the cornbread mix into the skillet and transfer to preheated oven for 25-35 minutes.
Serve with butter and honey.

Dude…

GF Flour Mix

First, here’s the flour mix. Yes, it’s a lot of ingredients, but the taste was worth it.

FLOUR MIX (This makes 8 cups so expect to hold onto it for awhile and make more pizzas!)

• 2 cups sorghum flour
• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 1 1/2 cups potato starch, not potato flour
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup amaranth flour (I subbed with soy flour since I didn’t have any amaranth)
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour (ground quinoa in my blender to make the “flour”)

• Sift each ingredient into a large mixing bowl.
• Thoroughly mix all ingredients with a large whisk.
• Store mix in a large container, in the refrigerator or a cool dark location.

Pizza Crust – GF

ROLLED PIZZA DOUGH:

• 3/4 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
• 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder\
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 package active dry yeast granules
• 1 teaspoons sugar OR 1/2 teaspoon honey OR agave nectar
**************************

***********
I add red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dried basil & dehydrated minced onion to the dry ingredients. The herbed flavor helps balance the other aspects of the GF “flavor”. Whatever seems right as it’s hard to measure personal taste.
**************************************
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water (hot water will kill the yeast!)
• Extra tapioca flour for rolling the pizza dough
• Cornmeal to sprinkle on baking sheet

Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the wet and mix until blended.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk until completely mixed together.
4. Add sugar or honey or agave nectar, vinegar, olive oil and gradually add water.
5. Mix on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes. This will help the yeast start to do it’s thing.
7. Scrape the thick dough on to a large clean surface liberally sprinkled with tapioca flour.
8. Work enough tapioca flour into the dough so that it can be shaped into a large ball. With a large knife cut the dough in half to make two medium pizzas.
************************
(This dough wasn’t hard to work with at all, but the tapioca flour can make it a bit dry. If this happens, just get your hands wet (dripping) and knead for a minute or two to return it to a good consistency)
************************
9. The key to shaping this dough is to continue to sprinkle the work surface and the dough with tapioca flour.
10. Shape each piece into a circle making sure to sprinkle enough tapioca flour on the dough and the work surface to prevent it from sticking.
****************************
(I found that continually turning the dough 1/4 turn kept it from sticking and also helped keep it round, no Italy shaped pizza for me!)
****************************
11. With a rolling pin shape the dough into circles. Place onto pan. After it pre-bakes, I sprayed it lightly with olive oil to keep the sauce from making the dough soggy during the second baking.

I found that the single recipe will make a large thin crust pizza. It is important to parbake (pre-bake) for 5-10 minutes before cooking as this is critical for GF crusts.

I also found that baking for 10 minutes, then sliding off the pan onto the clay tiles I have in my oven and continuing to bake for 5-7 minutes greatly improved the texture and the taste. Of course, I have a commercial sized pizza “peel” which helps get it back onto the pizza pan.

Melt In Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup 10x sugar (confectioners)

1 cup white rice flour (maybe swap for sweet rice flour, potato starch or tapioca flour for a better consistency… Rice flour can be a bit, um, gritty?)

3/4 cup butter (softened)
Mix it all together until it forms a lump.   Put in plastic wrap, roll into a log of light buttery goodness.   Refrigerate for 1 hour or more if you forget about it and end up watching two television shows and a discussion on the psychological cost of the movie we watched this afternoon.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper,  cut into cute little cookie rounds and bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees.  They will not brown, don’t wait for it.  They will just dry up and blow away.

Now, if you think a plain bit of buttery heaven is too boring, then add chopped pecans, lemon zest or a splash of vanilla/almond/Triple Sec.  Just do it.  Worry about it later.

It’s important to let this babies cool, ever so slightly on the sheet before you just dive in.  They are F.R.A.G.I.L.E   treat with care.

Now, put the kettle on to boil, set up a tea cup with something wonderful in a “silken pillow” that doesn’t make your tea taste like paper.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Donuts *GF*

WOOT!!

These are the bomb-diggity. I kid you not. Oh. My. Lovely. Donut. Delightfulness.

Seriously.

That is if you aren’t afraid of boiling oil and almond glaze.

Here’s the recipe I have concocted from an amalgamation of several recipes and the addition of my own secret ingredient…

Buttermilk Donuts (Gluten Free) ala Heidi
————————–

———————————————

1 Egg (beaten but not abused)
1 cup buttermilk (if you are looking for dairy free, I recommend hemp milk for it’s creamy goodness)
1/8 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp honey

(mix all this together and set aside)

1 Cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthum gum

(mix lightly)

Mix it all together until it comes together in the bowl. But be sure to treat gently. Like rolling biscuits. If it’s too sticky, sprinkle a bit of rice flour on the dough and the counter.

Of course, during all of this you should have had your Oil Of Choice heating on the stove. 375 degrees-ish?

Cut with donut cutter. This recipe makes 12 donuts, 14 donut holes (scraps = dough balls, do try to keep up.)

Fry 3 donuts at a time, 4-5 donut holes at a time until they are beautifully golden.

Using slotted spoon, take out cooked donuts, put on paper towels to drain. Then, while still nice and toasty? Put in bowl of glaze, turn to coat and then, using a long, point object. (I use a knife sharpener) let them drain above the bowl of glaze. This keeps them from being too sticky while maintaining the yumminess of it all.

Or roll in sugar, powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. Or eat plain.

Almond Glaze:

Powdered sugar, milk and a dash of almond extract. Be careful with the milk. Add a little until you get to the right consistency. And remember. a little goes a long way in the liquid to powdered sugar ratio.

If you like cake donuts? These are the bomb.

Forgive me readers, for I have stopped posting here

BUT!!! With the addition of my new fancy schmancy camera and some better suited cooking space, I am looking forward to getting back on this particular wagon.   There’s been some good food here lately.
Last night we had baked salmon with steamed carrots and a cornucopia salad.  Oh! And jasmine rice (which then magically transformed itself into breakfast).

So… Here’s the dish:

• One large salmon fillet
• 1 lemon, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder (avoid garlic salt, too much sodium, not enough flavor)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

I know, weird, huh?

So, put the fillet on a large enough sheet of foil to make a “packet” out of it later,  sprinkle the fillet with salt/pepper/garlic powder and then slather it with the mayo.  Put the lemon slices on the top, wrap it up and bake it at 350 for about half an hour.  It steams the fish, the flavors melt together and it is hands down the BEST salmon we eat.  Moist, flavorful…  We love it.

How does jasmine rice turn into breakfast?

Well, at our house we put all the leftover rice into a pot, add enough rice/almond/soy milk to cover, add honey/sugar/brown sugar/maple syrup and cinnamon to taste.  Seriously, it’s breakfast, who overthinks breakfast?  Then we cook it on low until it is mushy.

I will sometimes add a lot more liquid and then, using my  hand blender, will puree it into cream of rice cereal.  Dairy free, can be sugar free (use agave) and delicious.  I prefer the aromatic rices, like jasmine or basmati, but really any rice will do.  I cook the rice in the rice cooker with water, a pat of butter and a tsp of salt so it’s palatable to eat for the first time and it still works with the cereal.   My boys beg for this for breakfast and also beg for seconds.

Love In A Dutch Oven

The braised lamb shanks were divine.   The roasted garlic white bean puree is truly marvelous and the green beans with butter and garlic beyond lovely.   Home roasted garlic is super easy and makes the house smell like some Italian bit of heaven.   Really easy.  Worth the time.   45 minutes, 400 degrees.  Cut the tops off, put in muffin tin or small ramekin, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil.  Ignore.   Pull out, wait until room temp.   Squeeze into bowl.   Delish!

The Mr. said I said, “I love you” with food.

Isn’t that a fantastic idea?

I know that is why I have, for years, been motivated to learn to cook good food.  He loves it, my boys are blessed and enjoy a wide variety of foods which include vegetables.

My mom wasn’t such a great cook.  Not because she couldn’t but mostly because she didn’t want to.  I suppose with 9 mouths to feed when we were all around and anywhere from 5-16 depending on the event I can’t blame her for a lack of inspiration.  I’ll tell you though, she made a mean roast.  

Love.

It’s what inspires me to try new things, recreate at home some of the tasty dishes we’ve eaten at restaurants and what motivates me to continue when I would really just rather have tots for dinner with a side or ranch and a 32oz Diet Pepsi.

In other news….  Chocolate chip cookies.    The method is improving.   Tried a mix which had garbanzo bean flour as a base.

Garbanzo bean chocolate chip cookies taste like…..

Wait for it….  Wait….

Garbanzo beans with chocolate.

Nasty.

So, I tried a blend of millet/sweet sorghum flour/brown rice flour.    Flavor was excellent but the cookie itself was still a bit grainy for my taste.  The next batch will feature tapioca flour/potato starch/sweet sorghum flour.  Possibly even some sweet rice flour…  Maybe….  Cooking the little darlings at 325 for 15-18 minutes proved the ticket for a wheat free/gluten free cookie that actually LOOKED like a chocolate chip cookie.   I’d show you a picture but…

They are all gone.

Oops.