Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Piggy made these delicious pumpkin spice cupcakes all by herself tonight.  They are so tasty!  No one could tell they were GF!  And they are not overly pumpkin-y.  Tastes more like a spice cake!


Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. honey
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can pumpkin puree
2 cups GF flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup buttermilk


Frosting Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups confectioners sugar


Directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses and honey, until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until well mixed.


In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.  Add the flower mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter.


Line cupcake pan with paper liners and spoon the batter into the cups nearly to the top.  Bake approximately 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.


Frosting:
Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add maple syrup and confectioners sugar to combine.  Once cupcakes have cooled, apply frosting.

Macaroni Salad

This is a quick and delicious recipe we had for dinner tonight.  The recipe calls for 1/3 to 1/2 cups of mayo, but I indulged and added nearly a cup.  This will be a great recipe for summer!

Ingredients
2 cups dry macaroni (Gluten-free rice pasta)
Salt
1 hard boiled egg
1 roasted bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup of mayonnaise 
1 tsp. paprika
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Directions
Cook macaroni as directed in salted water.  When cooked, remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cool water until room temperature.


While macaroni is cooking, put chopped onions into a small bowl and sprinkle the lemon juice or vinegar over them.  This will take the edge off the onions.


Combine cooked macaroni, onions, and all other ingredients in large serving bowl.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

Oooohhhh.... this is my favorite dish since we started this journey!  It reminds me of Pappadeaux's Pontchartrain recipe.  But this one is so simple, quick, and is equally as delicious! Andrea made this for us tonight and did a fantastic job!


Ingredients
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. creole seasoning (like Tony's)
8 salmon fillets
brown sugar


Directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Boil wine, butter, and creole seasoning in small saucepan for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.  Place fish in oven safe dish and pour wine mixture over the top.  Bake about 15 minutes, until fish is opaque in center.  Remove from oven.


Preheat broiler.  Cover each salmon fillet with a layer of brown sugar.  Broil until topping is brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Pour remaining liquid over each fillet as you serve.

4-Bean Vegetarian Chili Mole

This is a delicious vegetarian chili that has an added twist when then mole seasonings are incorporated, giving it a spicy but sweet taste.  Troy made this one tonight to show us what he learned in last week's cooking class.   He did a fabulous job and it made enough that I have enough leftover for another meal for five.  Note to self:  Must buy freezer bags!  I'll let you know how it freezes!  Enjoy!


Ingredients
1 Tbsp. oil
1 chopped pepper (red, green, or yellow)
2 carrots, diced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz. each)
1 can black beans (1 lb.)
1 can black-eyed peas (1 lb.)
1 can kidney beans (1 lb.)
1 can chick peas (1 lb.)
1 large chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, halved and sliced
Dash of liquid smoke
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup water
mole seasonings
chopped cilantro (optional)


Directions
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion, pepper, and garlic and cook for 4 minutes.  Add carrot and cook for 2 minutes.  Add zucchini and spices (except salt) and mole seasonings and saute 1 minute.  Add water, tomatoes, and salt.  Bring to a boil and simmer partially covered for 15 minutes.  Stir in beans and quinoa.  Cook until thoroughly heated.  Top with chopped cilantro.

Mole Seasonings

For an interesting twist on the most basic dishes, try this mole seasoning!  It's yummy!


1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder


Mix together and use as called for.

Cumin-Dusted Pork Chops with Orange-Onion Salsa

This is a MOST delicious recipe that my oldest two cooked in their GF cooking class.  We have had it twice in as many weeks...and my 18 year old cooked it for us both times!

SALSA

2 cans (11 oz. each)mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup chopped  red onion

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PORK CHOPS

4 pork chops (about 4 oz. each), 1/2 inch thick

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1.  Make the salsa: Gently toss all the salsa ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and hold at room temperature until serving time.

2.  Prepare the pork chops:  Sprinkle both sides of chops with salt, cumin and pepper  In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Cook the pork chops to the desired degree of doneness. Or, cook pork shops on barbecue grill to desired degree of doneness.  Serve with salsa.

Broccoli Risotto

Today I decided to play with food.  Since this GF thing is going to be around a while, I certainly need to know how to whip up something simple without my cookbook in hand.  This broccoli risotto turned out very tasty and I must say... I'm quite proud of myself!


Ingredients
2 cups arborio rice*
6 cups vegetable stock 
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 cups chopped frozen broccoli (I used a handy-dandy mini chopper which worked great!)
sea salt
fresh ground pepper


Heat oil in large skillet and add chopped onion.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add broccoli and cook an additional 2 minutes.  Add rice and cook 2 minutes.  Slowly stir in stock 1 1/2 cups at a time until all liquid is absorbed.  Repeat until all stock is used.  Season with salt and pepper.


*Make sure that your rice is all natural and NOT enriched.  Enriched rice has been sprayed with a vitamin coating, which could contain gluten. 

Eating Out and Making Choices

Yes, I know... I haven't cooked a darn thing today!  Cereal for breakfast, fast food for lunch, and dinner out!  However, we have a tradition in our family that we always go out to dinner when someone has a birthday.  Today was mine and it was my choice.  Hmmm... Mexican, Chinese, Italian???  Choices, choices!  After some thought about what restaurant would offer Piggy something she could actually eat, I decided on Bob Evans.  Yes, Bob Evans for my birthday dinner...say what you will, but I knew they would have some choices for her without too much temptation of say bread or chips on the table before dinner was served.


Piggy got her menu and searched it over very intently and finally decided on grilled chicken with a baked potato and fruit.  Whoo hoo!!  Way to go, Piggy!  Of course we praised her for her choices (which bolstered her spirit about not ordering the fried something or other that she REALLY wanted), and she ate happily, got full, and we moved on.  Simple as that with no regrets!


Piggy is a bread eater.  Pure and simple.  She LOVES flour tortillas, biscuits, rolls, etc.  I know this is not going to be easy for her, but with all of us pitching in and making sure she has the ability to have choices and make the RIGHT choices, despite what our own cravings are, will surely make this an easier transition for her.

Fast Food the GF Way!

Yes, it was a busy day and I really didn't want to spend my late morning trying to prepare a GF meal... so we decided on FAST FOOD!!  Yes, I did my research and found that Wendy's has a pretty good GF menu.  I'm not a fan of fast food, but let's be real... I'm a homeschool mother of 3 with a very busy schedule.  Fast food is always going to be in our lives.  We don't have to have it too often, but when we need to indulge in it, we should be prepared to know exactly what we are eating.


Wendy's has a GF list on their website and Piggy and I went over what foods she could eat there, and just like that...we were off to the drive-thru and in STL traffic before we knew it!


Wendy's Gluten Free Menu

GF Quick Breakfast (i.e. CEREAL!)

Since today was my birthday AND I didn't have to teach classes (only shuffle the kids around to their homeschool enrichment classes in STL), I decided to sleep in until 9:00!  This being known to Piggy, who is an early riser, she knew she was on her own this morning for breakfast.  Thankfully we had stocked up on some GF cereal and snack bars that she was more than happy to indulge in.  We have bought EnviroKidz cereals and bars for years, so it wasn't a big deal this morning when she poured a bowl of breakfast.  The only difference was that she used soy milk instead of the delicious 2% in the glass bottles that are delivered to our door by the milkman every week.  She didn't think twice about it!  I was so proud of her!  She is really taking this to heart and trying to stick to the plan.  She now has her own section of the pantry for her "GF treats" and the other kids have been warned to keep away (at least until they eat all the other crap in the pantry... then we will slowly transition them, too!).

Amiamo lo Gnocchi!

After a disappointing lunch, we hit the jackpot on dinner!  Gnocchi (pronounced Noh-Kee) is an small Italian potato dumpling that is surprisingly tasty!  It's like the marriage of mashed potatoes and southern dumplings and can be used in many ways.  I, being a big fan of potatoes and dumplings, was a little leery until I tried the little buggers, and I must say that I really, really liked them!!  A starch-lover's dream! The recipe we made tonight included a mushroom and pancetta sauce, which was equally delicious and would be very good over any type of pasta.  


The recipe was a bit daunting because the white wine sauce and the vegetable broth for the white wine sauce had to be made, but as I said in my earlier post, these can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use them.  Had they been pre-made, this recipe would have been a quick one.  The wine sauce is a good base sauce for the imagination.  This is definitely one meal we will surely make again!


Gnocchi 

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut

3 egg yolks, beaten

3/4 cups gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer 15-20 minutes until tender.  When cooked, drain and mash.  Season slightly with salt and pepper.  Beat in the eggs and flour gradually until a sticky dough forms.  Knead dough and work into a ball using flour to dust.  Split dough into fourths and work each fourth into a long snake about 1/2 inch wide.  Cut dough into 1/2 inch pieces, then use the back of a fork to make grooves across each one.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium.  Take your first set of gnocci and drop into hot water.  After they rise to the top, let them cook 1-2 minutes.  Remove.  Repeat until all dough has been cooked.

Mushroom and Pancetta Sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
12 oz. pancetta, chopped
3 cups sliced mushrooms
white wine sauce (see earlier post)
sea salt

fresh ground black pepper


Heat the oil in a skillet and add onion.  Cook 3-4 minutes until onion is tender.  Add garlic and pancetta.  Cook an additional 3-4 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat white wine sauce in a saucepan over low heat until almost boiling.  Stir in the pancetta mixture and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the hot sauce over the gnocci and serve.    Delizioso!

A Couple of Staple Recipes

As I have been looking through my GF cookbook, I found a few things that I have decided to go ahead and make to keep in the refrigerator for use in other recipes.  After cooking tonight's dinner I realized it would have gone a lot faster if I had these two items already prepared...


Vegetable Stock
2 chopped onions
2 chopped leeks (the white part)
4 chopped carrots
2 bay leaves
1 small handful parsley stems
12 peppercorns
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 quarts water


Place all ingredients in pot and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and cover.  Simmer 40 minutes.  Cool, then strain into container.  Will store for 3-4 days in refrigerator, or freeze.


White Wine Sauce
2 Tbsp. dairy-free margarine
2 Tbsp. gluten-free flour
1/2 dry white wine
6 Tbsp. soymilk
3/4 cup vegetable stock


Melt margarine in saucepan over low heat.  Stir in flour and remove from heat.  Slowly stir in wine, soymilk and vegetable stock.  Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.  The sauce will thicken as it cooks.  Once the sauce boils, reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in another 1/2 to 1 cup stock to make sauce smooth.  Season lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Tabbouleh Schmooleh

Remember the old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? Well, I need to remember to not judge a recipe by it's picture. Lunch wasn't as successful as breakfast, in fact I think more of what I made went into the trash, than into our mouths!

The recipe in the book looked great, the bowls I prepared looked great, but we have decided that tabbouleh is just not for us. Maybe we will have to evolve into this type of dish, which makes me wish I hadn't chosen something so off-the-wall to start off with (but it looked so pretty in the cookbook!).

Oh, but quinoa is awesome! Next time I will use it as a substitute for rice or couscous. I can't wait to experiment with this little gem!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

My first attempt at a GF smoothie, and it turned out awesome! We revised the recipe we found in the new cookbook and this is what we came up with.

2 handfuls of frozen strawberries (thawed slightly)

1/2 banana

1 cup soymilk (we used vanilla flavored)

1/4 cup tofu

Blend in blender or smoothie maker and serve. Yum!

Um...Excuse Me..Where is the Real Food?

So with the GF diet starting today, we spent part of yesterday getting ready for this new adventure. We started off at the bookstore where Piggy and I picked out a great GF cookbook with lots of beautiful pictures. Then it was off to the market to buy the goods.

Saying that last sentence was much easier than actually making it happen! Trying to find unprocessed natural whole foods was a daunting task at our local market. It was amazing at how much sugary processed cereal they offered (an entire aisle, top to bottom!), and only one tiny section (I'm talking a 2 foot wide section of only 2 shelves) of rice. REAL rice... not the crap that includes a packet of mix with it, or the instant kind.

We walked back and forth trying to find the foods we needed, looked high and low, and after much searching amidst the processed Neverland that corporate America has provided us to purchase and feed our families, we found all but a few items that we needed. When I questioned the grocery manager about where I might find quinoa, he had dumbfounded look on his face and said he had no idea what I was talking about. Now, granted, I've never actually cooked quinoa, but I certainly have heard of it. But, I guess for a market that had only one selection for couscous, I shouldn't be surprised!

Since our selections are limited on this side of the Mississippi, I have realized that I will have to plan carefully and take a trip over to Whole Foods Market in STL at least once a week. Thank heavens that we have one (actually 2) so close!

Diving In to GF

Here we go, my friends... we are diving into the gluten-free world head-first with no life preserver and we barely know how to swim! Our 10 year-old (we call her 'piggy' because she used to wear pig-tails in her hair when she was little) has suffered from eczema for years and has had bouts of stomach problems recently that have left her feeling less than energetic. We have taken her to the dermatologists and allergists to try and figure out why her skin decided it didn't want to play nice with the rest of her body, but got no definitive answer. What we did get were plenty of prescriptions to alleviate the symptoms of her eczema, including one that came with a dire warning: Could cause cancer! Yeah, right...

With her symptoms getting worse as she spent more time in the pool, after sweating, or trying on clothes at the mall, we decided that we had to do something different. And this is where divine intervention led us to the gluten-free lifestyle...

My two oldest children enrolled in a 'Healthy Cooking: Gluten-Free' class through our homeschool group. It was kind of a fluke that they even took the class. They were looking for something to do while Piggy was taking Art class, so they reluctantly signed up for their culinary 'blow-off' class. However, they were both surprised to see how much they enjoyed making the healthy alternative recipes and were equally surprised at how good they tasted. Now, each week after class, they prepare the recipe they learned that day for the entire family for dinner. I have to say, Thursdays have become my favorite day of the week!

Still unaware of what the gluten-free lifestyle was all about (but enjoying the Thursday dinners), I read a post by a high school friend on Facebook claiming that since she had started GF a few months earlier, her lifelong eczema was gone! Yes, gone!! Now, this girl knows what she is talking about, because she is a nutritionist. If I would trust anyone to help with a special diet, it would be her!

So light bulbs went off...could this help Piggy? Well, it can't hurt, can it? Now, I'm not a great cook, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. I've got a lot of learning to do about gluten and a lot of changes to make in the way I cook as well as what I cook. It is going to be interesting! So here our journey begins. Hold your breath cause we are diving in!