Spooky Oreos

Last week Gluten Free Girl & The Chef featured homemade gf oreos on their site. (You'll find the recipe there if you want to try it.) I had to give them a try! I figured it was best to make them for a party - so I wouldn't eat more than a few. I've been wanting a pastry bag - this was my excuse to go out and buy one. I whipped them up for a Halloween party, where I knew there would be at least one other person on a gf diet.

A few comments on the process: I substituted brown rice flour for the white rice flour because that's what I had on hand, and coconut oil for the vegetable shortening because I don't like to use trans-fats. I also think that this dough could be rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter, or rolled into a log and sliced. It was a bit labor intensive to form each wafer by hand. The chocolately smell that filled the house while they baked was out of this world!

To decorate them for the holiday, I bought some yogurt covered raisins and poked holes in them with a fat needle to make little skulls, which I attached with a little blob of icing. :-) They were well received at the party, even by non-gf people. That's always the test: will the people who can eat everything else enjoy these too? They did, although I have to say I liked them best the next day, after they'd spent the night in the fridge. The filling stayed really firm when cold, so it didn't squeeze out when I took a bite. Let me know if you make them - and how they turn out!

Making Gluten Free Pizza

This is the first pizza I've eaten since going gluten free, and the first I've ever made. It came out really well! I used a frozen crust from Against the Grain (a local GF company) and topped it with homemade marinara sauce, sauteed onions, red peppers, mushrooms, and part-skim mozzarella cheese. Sometime soon I'll try making my own crust, but that's another matter!

A Tasty Recovery

I'm recovering from a nasty little stomach bug. Many years ago I learned about three macrobiotic foods that restore beneficial flora to the digestive system: miso soup, sauerkraut, and uzu tea. I could never deal with the tea, made from arrowroot powder, tamari and umeboshi plum, as I recall. But I like miso soup, and sauerkraut is okay. They really do help! Click here for the recipe I used. I made the simple kombu dashi (kombu stock), which added some depth to the soup. I also added some gluten free tamari to the bowl. Most miso has wheat (and soy) in it. I used locally made South River Azuki Bean Miso, which contains no wheat or soy ingredients.

It's So Easy!

Wow! I followed the recipe from Jill Santopietro's Tiny Kitchen video for tangerine sherbet. (The delightlful little bowl is by Shelburne potter Molly Cantor.)

I started with the most amazingly juicy tangelos. Did you know that a tangelo is a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit?

I zested 2 of them, then juiced the whole lot by hand.

There are a few more simple steps. Go the NY Times website and follow the whole recipe if you want to try this.

There it is, churning about inside the machine . . .

Holy smokes! The most delightfully light, delicate tasting sherbet I've ever enjoyed. If I'm going to keep exploring this sort of thing, you'd better come over and share some . . . or else I'm going to become quite a chubber! :-)

Soup to go with the Corn Bread

The other night I made the "White Bean & Escarole Soup" (I substituted spinach for the escarole) from Mollie Katzen's "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" cookbook. It was good, but a little bland for my taste. This evening I was inspired! I cut up an Applegate Farms Chicken & Turkey Andouille sausage, browned it in a little olive oil, and added it to a bowl of the hot soup. With the corn bread - holy smokes - what a yummy meal!

Fruitcake Bars - with thanks (once again) to David Lebovitz

Here's my gluten free version of David Lebovitz's Fruitcake Bars, also known as "Friendship Bars." No disgusting, neon green and yellow candied fruit here - just honest to goodness dates, apricots and nuts. All I did to make it gluten free was switch the 6 T of all purpose flour for 2 T each of tapioca, sorghum and sweet rice (mochi) flour. Whilst baking , it filled the house with the most divine fragrance. And they're delicious too! Click the link above for David's recipe.

Roasted!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, YUKON GOLD POTATOES, ONION, GARLIC (LOTS), ROSEMARY, SALT, BLACK PEPPER, AND HOT PEPPER FLAKES, ALL TOSSED IN OLIVE OIL . . .

ROASTED AT 425F FOR 30 MINUTES, TURNED OVER ONCE HALFWAY THROUGH. WOW! DELICIOUS! THE GARLIC IS SO SWEET AND CHEWY, A PERFECT COMPLIMENT TO THE SALTY POTATOES AND ROSEMARY. YUM.

The Best Cranberry Sauce Tool

THIS TIME OF YEAR IT'S REALLY NICE TO HAVE AN OLD FASHIONED FOOD MILL. I USED TO HAVE A FOLEY MODEL - IT REALLY TOOK SOME STENGTH AND DOWNWARD PRESSURE TO MAKE IT WORK. MY FORMER SPOUSE HAS THAT ONE NOW, WHICH IS FINE BECAUSE HE'S GOT THE STRENGTH TO OPERATE IT! THIS LITTLE MODEL IS INEXPENSIVE (AROUND $25) AND WORKS LIKE A DREAM. I BOUGHT MINE AT DIFFERENT DRUMMERS KITCHEN IN NORTHAMPTON, WHERE THEY HAD FANCY VERSIONS FOR OVER $100! IT MAKES QUICK WORK OF APPLE AND CRANBERRY SAUCES, AND I'M SURE WOULD MAKE A MEAN MASHED POTATO. IT COMES WITH THREE DIFFERENT SIZED DISKS, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE REMOVING FROM THE SAUCE (FRUIT OR VEGGIE SKINS, SEEDS, ETC.). I WAS HESITANT AT FIRST ABOUT THE PLASTIC, BUT IT DOESN'T ABSORB COLOR OR SMELL FROM THE FOOD. EASY TO USE AND EASY TO CLEAN. IT'S THE RSVP INTERNATIONAL VEG-3 ROTARY FOOD MILL.

Potato Soup, Since 1972

I RECEIVED THIS VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK EARTH, WATER, FIRE, AIR: COOKBOOK FOR THE NEW AGE by BARBARA FRIEDLANDER AS A GIFT IN 1972. I PULLED IT OUT LAST NIGHT TO MAKE THE BEST POTATO SOUP - A FAMILY FAVORITE FOR 37 YEARS. (EEEK . . . I'M REALLY DATING MYSELF!) THE BOOK IS FULL OF HOMEY, SIMPLE RECIPES, AND AT THE TOP OF EACH RIGHT-HAND PAGE THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION FOR MUSIC, OR A BOOK. A FEW OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS: ALL AND EVERYTHING BY G.I. GURDJIEFF, KNOTS BY R.D. LAING, AND BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY.

Variations on a Theme

OK, THIS IS MY SECOND CHICKEN & POTATOES POST IN RECENT HISTORY. I CAN'T HELP IT - IT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO ME IN THE FALL! :-) BUT THIS VARIATION ON THE THEME WAS PARTICULARLY SUCCESSFUL, MEANING DELICIOUS. I MODIFIED A RECIPE THAT CAME FROM MY FRIEND D.'S GRANDMA FOR PORK LOIN ROASTED WITH PRUNES & BOURBON. I MADE IT WITH CHICKEN BREASTS, PRUNES & TEQUILA INSTEAD - TO VERY GOOD EFFECT. THE POTATOES ARE YUKON GOLDS, MASHED ROUGHLY WITH OLIVE OIL, FRESH PARSLEY AND SALT & PEPPER. IF YOU'D LIKE THE RECIPE FOR THE CHICKEN, JUST LET ME KNOW. (I put the recipe in the comments section. Click on 'comments' below.)

Is it a Frittata? A Quiche?

IT'S JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF THOSE DISHES I GUESS. I'VE BECOME RATHER CAVALIER ABOUT FOLLOWING THE RECIPE WHICH I ROUGHLY DOUBLED FOR THIS DISH. (YOU CAN FIND THE RECIPE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS OLDER POST). I'M BOTHERING TO POST ABOUT THIS DISH AGAIN BECAUSE I HAPPILY FREED MYSELF FROM THE PIE PLATES, DOUBLED THE RECIPE, ADDED 2 ANDOUILLE SAUSAGES TO THE SAUTE, AND GENERALLY DID WHATEVER I FELT LIKE DOING, AND THE RESULT WAS LOVELY. IN THIS 8"x8" PYREX BAKING DISH, I ENDED UP WITH SIX SERVINGS. WITH A GREEN SALAD, IT GOT ME THROUGH MOST OF MY LUNCHES & A DINNER THIS WEEK. SO PLEASE, FEEL FREE TO DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE WITH THIS RECIPE TOO - AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOUR FRITTATA . . . UM QUICHE . . . WHATEVER IT IS . . . TURNS OUT!

Yogurt Update

YOU MAY RECALL MY PREVIOUS POST ABOUT MAKING GREEK YOGURT AT HOME. I MADE REGULAR OLD YOGURT, THEN STRAINED IT THROUGH A PAPER TOWEL LINED STRAINER. I RECENTLY RECEIVED THIS NIFTY LITTLE ITEM AS A GIFT, AND I'M JUST THRILLED WITH THE RESULTS! IT'S THE 'CUISIPRO YOGURT CHEESE MAKER.' IT'S SUCH A SIMPLE DEVICE: A PLASTIC BOX WITH A TIGHT FITTING LID, WITH A SCREEN INSERT. YOU JUST SCOOP YOUR YOGURT INTO THE THE SCREEN, LEAVE IT IN THE FRIDGE TO STRAIN FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIKE AND THEN . . . VOILA! THICK, CREAMY YOGURT!

I'VE ALSO BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH USING DIFFERENT KINDS OF MILK AND/OR CREAM. I GOT ON THE EXPERIMENTAL KICK AFTER THROWING 1/2 CUP OF LEFTOVER HEAVY CREAM INTO A 1/2 GALLON OF 2% MILK TO MAKE A BATCH. HOLY SMOKES - THAT WAS DELICIOUS! I TRIED 4% MILK WITH CREAM, SKIM MILK WITH CREAM, PLAIN 4% MILK. . . IN THE END, I THINK I LIKE THE PLAIN 2% MILK, STRAINED, THE BEST. THE OTHERS ARE SO YUMMY, BUT REALLY TOO RICH FOR EVERY DAY EATING. I FIND HOMEMADE YOGURT SO MUCH SWEETER AND DELICATE TASTING THAN STORE BOUGHT. I'VE BEEN USING WHOLE FOODS 365 PLAIN YOGURT FOR THE STARTER.

Homemade Granola, with thanks to David Lebovitz

Lately I've been following David Lebovitz on Facebook and Twitter, and reading his blog. He's a delightful American food writer, living in Paris. He recently posted a granola recipe that uses applesauce, or another fruit puree, as a substitute for a lot of the oil that usually goes into granola. Since going gluten free, I've wanted to make granola, using certified gluten free oats. So last night, I did.

I started by making the applesauce, using organic Braeburn apples, skins, seeds and all, roughly chopped, and tossed in a pot with a little water. I simmered them until they were very soft, and plopped them into my food mill. Yay for the food mill! It removed the seeds and skins with ease, and left me with a lovely, thick, unsweetened fruit puree.

Ooooh . . .

I didn't follow Mr. Lebovitz's recipe to the letter - I used what I had on hand: a few pepitas, some walnuts, lots of almonds and maple syrup instead of rice syrup. The applesauce-instead-of-lots-of-oil is genius - the resulting product is light and just sweet enough. I ate it this morning with extra apple sauce and homemade greek style yogurt. So good!

Julia's Coq Au Vin - Slightly Modified & Gluten Free

WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD MY BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE THIS DISH - STEP-BY-STEP - IN HER KITCHEN. SHE WROTE THE RECIPE DOWN, AND I BROUGHT IT HOME AND COOKED IT FOR MY FAMILY. I WAS SO PROUD! LIKE SO MANY RIGHT NOW, I'M RE-INSPIRED BY JULIA CHILD. S. AND I COOKED THIS UP ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. ALL I HAD TO DO TO MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE WAS MAKE THE BEURRE MANIE TO THICKEN THE SAUCE WITH POTATO FLOUR INSTEAD OF WHEAT FLOUR. MY FAVORITE PART WAS THE FRIGHTENING IGNITION OF THE COGNAC!
(Thank you Janelle Branneky!)

Quick Summer Meal: Black Bean & Corn Salad

THIS IS MY SLIGHTLY REVISED VERSION OF A RACHEL RAY RECIPE I FOUND ONLINE.
I MADE HER SALAD, BUT USED TWO ROASTED RED PEPPERS INSTEAD OF ONE RAW ONE, AND LESS RED ONION. (THE RED ONIONS AT WHOLE FOODS ARE GIGANTIC!) I ADDED LOTS OF CHOPPED CILANTRO, AND SERVED IT OVER A SPINACH, CUCUMBER & SUNFLOWER GREENS SALAD. EASY, FAST AND DELICIOUS!

The Simplest Summer Breakfast

HOMEMADE YOGURT AND A PEELED GEORGIA PEACH, TOPPED WITH A SMIDGE OF MAPLE SYRUP. WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?
LOCAL PEACHES FROM CLARKDALE FRUIT FARMS WILL BE READY AUGUST 1!

Where the Heck is the . . . ?

Tomato Politics

I HAD NO IDEA THAT EATING TOMATOES (IN THE U.S.) IN THE WINTER SUPPORTED SLAVERY. I DISCOVERED THIS ARTICLE THROUGH GLUTEN FREE GIRL'S BLOG. IT'S NOT WHAT EXPECTED FROM GOURMET MAGAZINE. READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE - IT'S WORTH IT!
I'M GLAD I BOUGHT THESE LITTLE GRAPE TOMATOES (THE ONLY KIND THAT HAVE FLAVOR IN WINTER ANYWAY) AT WHOLE FOODS - APPARENTLY THEY ARE THE ONLY GROCERY CHAIN THAT HAS PROMISED NOT TO BUY FROM GROWERS WHO TOLERATE WORKER ABUSE. THEY ALSO PLEDGED TO PAY A PRICE THAT SUPPORTS A LIVING WAGE.

Look Ma - No Crust!

EATING GLUTEN FREE DOESN'T MEAN NO QUICHE - IT JUST MEANS LOSE THE CRUST! HONESTLY, WHO NEEDS ALL THAT EXTRA FAT ANYWAY? I MADE THESE WITH LOTS OF ONIONS, GARLIC, ASPARAGUS AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS, AND PEPPERJACK & PARMESAN CHEESES. WITH A SALAD ON THE SIDE, IT'S A LOVELY MEAL. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT THE RECIPE (LEAVE A COMMENT), I'M HAPPY TO SEND IT ALONG.

How Can You Mess Up Corn Bread?

THIS IS THE BATCH I MADE TONIGHT - BEING EXTRA CAREFUL TO MEASURE CORRECTLY AND INCLUDE ALL THE INGREDIENTS. IT'S QUITE LOVELY!
LAST NIGHT S. AND I MADE A TERRIBLE BATCH - TO GO WITH OUR SPLIT PEA SOUP. OH, THE CORN BREAD WAS JUST AWFUL - SOGGY AND TART TASTING. IT WAS SO SAD.
DRINK YOUR WINE DURING DINNER - DON'T DRINK AND BAKE! :-)