Auntie Joanne's Tomato Florentine Soup, Gluten Free

Everyone loves Aunt Joannes Tomato Florentine Soup and I finally got the recipe last night while harvesting swiss chard from her garden.  You can use either Spinach, or Swiss Chard in this recipe.

Tomato Florentine Soup
1 pkg. frozen spinach, chopped (or swiss chard equivalent)

Soup simmering for 20 minutes.  This is before the Parmesan and sour cream.

2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano (or less if using powdered form)
1 tablespoon tarragon
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon basil (1 teaspoon if using powdered form)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves
2 oz. butter
2 cups chicken stock
2 10 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 10 oz cans water
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups gluten free pasta (shells or noodles)
Method:
Saute onions in butter using large soup pot over medium heat.  Add spices, saute one more minute.
Stir in tomato sauce, water and chicken stock and chopped spinach.  Add bay leaves.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Take 2 cups soup out of pot and let cool.  Stir sour cream into cooled mixture and return to pot.  Add pasta, pasta, simmer about 10 more minutes or until pasta is cooked, stirring occasionally.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Ready to Eat!  Yum!

Pressure Cooked Chicken Curry ~gluten free

3lbs chicken pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons Curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 large onions, diced
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 can green beans
Heat pressure cooker. Melt butter and brown chicken pieces in butter. Stir in onions and lightly brown. Stir in curry and salt. Add the vinegar and water. Close cover. Following manufacturers' directions, cook for 10 minutes (regulator should be rocking gently)
Cool pressure cooker at once (I place it under a tap of cold water until I hear the pressure release). Remove chicken pieces. Stir in the canned beans and the cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 - 2 minutes.
Serve over hot rice. Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Pork n' Potato Pie ~gluten free

Serves 6 This one is a keeper! Good way to use up leftover roast pork!
2 lbs potatoes
1/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
14 1/2 ounces beef broth (I used leftover gravy from the pork roast)
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons parsley
2 1/2 cups cooked pork, cubed.
1 can green beans (or one cup cooked)
Preheat oven to 375
Cook potatoes until soft. Drain well and mash with milk and 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper
Spread half the mashed potatoes in a greased, shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
In a skillet, saute onion and garlic powder until tender. Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1 cup of the broth.
Gradually stir in broth, mustard powder, thyme and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir in pork and green beans. Bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes or until beans are done.
Pour over potato crust.
Pipe or spoon remaining potatoes over top.
Bake uncovered for 35-40 inutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.
Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Gluten Free Fritter Batter

Gluten Free Fritter Batter Recipe
1 egg, beaten
6 tablespoons chickpea flour or yellow cornflour
9 tablespoons rice flour
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teatesspoon baking powder
1 cup 7 UP or carbonated water

Wisk the dry ingredients together.  Beat the 7UP and egg together with a fork.  Carefully stir into the flour mixture until combined.  Do not over mix.  This makes a thin batter.
To use:
dust shrimp, chicken, meat, fruit or vegetables with rice flour.  Let sit in fridge uncovered for about 30 minutes until no longer wet.  Dip food in fritter batter . Deep fry 1-3 minutes at 350 F .  Place on paper towel.

G F Pound Cake - Very Good!

Last piece of pound cake from Sunday!  It disappeared so quickly that I didn't get a chance to photograph the whole cake!  Makes a very nice looking bundt cake. Most questioned if it was gluten free!
Gluten Free Pound Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup rice flour ( I prefer the fine oriental rice flour)
2/3 cup potato starch,
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon guar gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine sugar and melted butter in mixing bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Add vanilla; beat until mixed.
Wisk together the different flours with the guar gum and baking powder.  Gradually add flour mixture alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating at low speed until well mixed - 2 -3 minutes.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan.
Freezes well.  Just thaw and serve.  Can be served as is or with a glaze or with whipped cream and fruit.





Great Gluten Free White Bread for the Bread Machine!

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups very warm water

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 3/4 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons pysillium husk (available at bulk foods or health food stores)

1/4 cup flax

1 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1 1/4 cup fine rice flour  (you can also use a mixture of millet/rice or tapioca/rice/, or chickpea/rice flours)

2 1/2 teaspoons guar gum

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup milk powder

3 tablespoons sugar

Wisk the cornstarch and rice flours together before adding to pan. Put ingredients in pan as in above order. Because I use regular yeast (not bread machine yeast) I give a little stir with a spoon to mix the yeast into the wet ingredients.

I used the rapid bake cycle (2 hours) on the machine and chose the "dark" crust setting. I find it is important to bake gluten free bread for 50-60 minutes to make sure it is done in the center and does not collapse. If using a different bread machine check manual to use a setting that bakes for that length of time. Remove from pan after baking.

The gluten free dough does come together into a ball just like "wheat" based breads!

Dough rising in the pan.  Probably a good idea to wet hands and smooth the top at this point.

Just out of the machine.  Just a little flour on the sides.  

 

 

Tip: If your dough hook can be removed - remove it after the last mixing period by using a spatula to move the dough over. This way you will not have a hole in your loaf.

Best Belgian Waffles~gluten free

4 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil (I use canola)
3 cups milk.
Beat together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl wisk together:
1 1/2 cup rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 teaspoon guar gum or xanthun gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Method
Using a hand mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until lumps are gone.
Bake on your preheated waffle iron according to manufacturers directions.
These are crisp and delicious!

Sweet n' Sour GF chicken balls~gluten free

1 8ounce can crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 can 7 ounces diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon gf soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Chicken Ball Batter
use one posted on this blog.
Cut up boneless chicken breasts into chunks. (about 1 1/2 lbs)
Sauce
Drain pineapple, reserving juice
place in saucepan sugar, tomatoes, vinegar, onion, green pepper, soy sauce, ginger and pineapple. Simmer 20 minutes stirring occassionally.
In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch with the reserved pineapple juice and add to the tomato mixture.
Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes, or until thickened.
Remove from heat.
Make chicken balls according to Fritter Batter instructions (look under Gluten Free heading).
Deep fry at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes, until cooked.
Remove to a paper towel.
Serve with the Pineapple Sweet n' Sour Sauce

Gluten Free Quiche~gluten free

Crust:
3 cups mashed potatoes, seasoned with salt, pepper and 1/3 cup diced onion.
Filling:
1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped broccoli tops
1/2 cup sliced red or green pepper
4 eggs
1 cup milk
Method:
Lightly oil a 9" or 10" deep pie plate. Spread mashed potato crust in pie pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Sprinkle the cheese onto the crust. Place vegetables in crust. Beat eggs and milk together and pour over vegetables. Bake at 350 for 40 - 60 minutes until you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. Serves 6. Optional - add a little cooked diced bacon to the vegetables. Very Good! Looks really nice!

Impossible Gluten Free Cheeseburger Pie

This version of Impossible pie went over really well tonight. I have a large family and made one of this kind and one of the Taco.

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup corn flour (not corn starch. It's yellow corn flour)
1/4 cup fine white cornmeal (or rice flour)
1/4 cup potato starch
1 can green beans (10 oz)
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 generous cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400 F
Brown ground beef and onion in frying pan. Stir in salt, pepper and and green beans.
Put in a lightly greased 10" deep pie plate
Beat milk, eggs and flours together, until smooth
Pour over meat mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Arrange fresh tomato slices on top of meat. Sprinkle on cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 - 8 minutes until cheese is melted.
Let cool for a couple of minutes. Slice and serve.
Serves 6
We also thought that fresh mushrooms sauted in butter would be good in place of the green beans.

Gluten Free Quiche that forms its own crust ~ gluten free

1 large onion, diced
16 rice crackers, crushed
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 eggs,
5 - 6 slices cooked bacon or ham, chopped
1 can mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 green pepper, diced
Method
Saute onion in a tablespoon or two of butter
Meanwhile beat eggs and stir in all the ingredients.
Spoon into individual greased muffin pans**( see note below)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done. Serve with a fried rice dish and salad.
Re: muffin pans. I tried out three kinds. The new silicone pans work great and don't stick. Tiny 4" aluminum foil pie pans worked great. I also used a black muffin pan and for some reason they stuck in this pan. Possibly because they were not greased well enough.
This recipe makes 12 individual quiche (size of large muffins). Serves 8 - 10.
My friend freezes her leftovers and reheats them individually in the microwave.

Just Like Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup~gluten free

Well, not exactly like but close....

This is a quick easy alternative to Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup

1 6 ounce can tomato paste
12 ounces milk (2 cans)
12 ounces water (2 cans)
1 tsp. salt
Method
Stir or wisk together in a saucepan. Heat and Serve.
This is really quite tasty and easy. You may adjust the water and milk amounts to your tastes but this works great for us

Impossible Gluten Free Taco Pie ~gluten free

This was a real hit when I made it tonight!

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 tablespoons gf taco seasoning (see Spice Mixes, condiments, fritter batters, etc.Forum for recipe)
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup corn flour (not corn starch. It's yellow corn flour)
1/4 cup fine white cornmeal (or rice flour)
1/4 cup potato starch
1 green pepper diced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 generous cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 cup canned corn (optional)
Heat oven to 400 F
Brown ground beef and onion in frying pan. Stir in taco seasoning and green pepper and corn if used.
Put in a lightly greased 10" deep pie plate
Beat milk, eggs and flours together, until smooth
Pour over meat mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Arrange fresh tomato slices on top of meat. Sprinkle on cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 - 8 minutes until cheese is melted.
Let cool for a couple of minutes. Slice and serve.
Serves 6

Cream of Mushroom Soup ~ Gluten Free

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 lb mushrooms, chopped fine

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook slowly for 15 minutes.

Stir in:
1 tablespoon rice flour

Add slowly, stirring:
2 cups liquid (chicken or turkey stock, milk or water)
Bring to the boiling point. Cook slowly for 20 minutes on very low heat or in a double boiler. Stir occassionally.

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Just before serving add:
1/2 cup milk or cream.
Heat but do not boil.
Serves 4 to 6.

Gluten Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies - Just in Time for Valentines Day!

Sugar Cookies - Great for cutting out Christmas Cookies, Valentines Day Cookies, etc.

• 3 cups powdered sugar ( icing sugar)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups shortening or butter or margarine
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup vanilla extract (this is correct)
• 1 cup amaranth flour or sorghum flour
• 2 cups potato starch
• 2 cups sweet rice flour
• 4 cups white rice flour or brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons xanthan gum or guar gum
• 3 tablespoons Baking Powder.

Preheat oven to 325*.  Mix together the dry ingredients with a wisk until well combined.  Set aside.
Cream together the sugars, shortening (or butter or margarine), eggs, vanilla and salt.  Add the flour mixture a cup at a time stirring with a wooden spoon or with your mixer's dough hook.  Stir until all the flour mixture is incorporated.  Remove to counter or table top that has been dusted with rice flour.  Knead and fold the dough a bit.  The dough should be able to be gathered into a ball. 

• For Sugar Cookies just roll into balls and flatten with the bottom of a sugar-dipped glass.  Bake until golden.
• For a soft chewy cookies roll into larger balls and flatten to about 1/4" thick and bake until edges are just golden.
• For roll out/cut out cookies chill the dough for about an hour.  then you can either dust your table top with sweet rice flour or roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8" for crispy or 1/4" for soft cookies.

We have added gingerbread men spices and molasses to the recipe to make gingerbread men.
You do not have to use all the dough at once.  Just wrap it well and store in freezer.  The baked cookies freeze well.  If left at room temperature in a container for more than 3-4 days they will dry out.

Ground Beef & Biscuits ~gluten free

This is a quick stand by we all love. The biscuits are also great with turkey pie, or breakfast biscuits with jam!
Ingredients
1lb. ground beef
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onions, diced
2 tablespoons. rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper
5.5 ounce tomato paste
28 ounce diced tomatoes
1 can (10 ounces) beans or peas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Biscuit ingredients
4 tablespoons buttermilk powder
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup potato starch
1 1/4 cups cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
Method
Fry ground beef and onion until brown. Stir in spices, beans,celery, tomato paste,
diced tomatoes and rice flour. Simmer 30 minutes. While this is simmering, make the biscuits:
Combine dry biscuit ingredients. Put wet ingredients into a measuring cup and whisk together.
 Pour over dry ingredients. Stir until thickened. Pour hot beef mixture into a greased 9" x 13"
casserole dish. Drop biscuit mixture onto hot mixture. Sprinkle on cheddar cheese. Bake
uncovered in a 350 oven for 20 minutes or until biscuits are light brown. Serves 6

Best Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread for the Bread Machine!

After I posted my "Best Gluten Free Bread Ever! recipe my mom suggested I make one in the bread machine. I have never had much luck with that but thought I'd give it a try some time. My Aunt Nellie had given her a bread machine recipe that they liked and I based the format on her recipe but used my ingredients from "Best Gluten Free Bread Ever!". I used the Black and Dekker large bread machine.

Best Gluten Free Bread for the Bread Machine!

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups very warm water

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 3/4 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons pysillium husk (available at bulk foods or health food stores)

1/4 cup flax

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup tapioca starch flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup teff flour

1/4 cup millet flour

2 1/2 teaspoons guar gum

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup milk powder

3 tablespoons sugar

Put ingredients in pan as in above order.  (I recommend mixing the flours together first and then adding in the order with the rest of the ingredients.) Because I use regular yeast (not bread machine yeast) I give a little stir with a spoon to mix the yeast into the wet ingredients.

I used the rapid bake cycle (2 hours) on the machine and chose the "dark" crust setting. I find it is important to bake gluten free bread for 50-60 minutes to make sure it is done in the center and does not collapse. If using a different bread machine check manual to use a setting that bakes for that length of time. Remove from pan after baking.

The gluten free dough does come together into a ball just like "wheat" based breads!

Dough rising in the pan.  Probably a good idea to wet hands and smooth the top at this point.

Just out of the machine.  Just a little flour on the sides.  

 

 

Nice texture for a gluten free loaf - tastes great!

Tip: If your dough hook can be removed - remove it after the last mixing period by using a spatula to move the dough over. This way you will not have a hole in your loaf.

Best Gluten Free Bread Ever!!

We have a gluten free bakery attached to our home where for the last couple of years we have been making gluten free buns (dinner, hamburger and hot dog) along with a few other products.  Bread was always the difficult one.  The dough that worked great for the buns would shrink in when made into a loaf.  I wanted a loaf that was like the whole wheat loaves I used to make.  After a bit of experimenting I have come up with a recipe that we feel is too good to keep to ourselves.  This recipe is very flexible and for me has worked out every time.  You are welcome to share this recipe but please give credit to our blog site.  Thanks!

Booy’s Gluten Free Bread Recipe- makes 2 full size loaves (pans are 8"x 4")

2 ¼ cup very hot tap water

1 teaspoon ground chia seed

1 tablespoon pysillium husk 

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup or 1 cup cup flax meal (if you like it more like whole wheat bread use 1 cup flax meal - it will make a darker loaf that looks like a whole wheat loaf)

Let sit in large mixer bowl for 20 minutes.

Add to mixer bowl:

1 tablespoon yeast. 

Let sit 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix together and set aside:

2 cups cornstarch

½ cup tapioca flour

¼ cup sweet rice flour

1 cup teff flour or buckwheat flour

1/3 cup sugar (or 1/4 corn or Rogers Syrup - if using syrup reduce 2 1/4 c water to 2 cups water)

2 teaspoons guar gum

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

Add a few cups of the dry flour  mixture  to the mixture in the mixing bowl. Then add:

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vinegar

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup milk powder (or you can add cottage cheese or ¼ c whey powder instead)

Add remaining flour mixture.

Mix in mixer on med low speed for 15 minutes.

Scoop into two well greased loaf pans. I use the Fat Daddio's pan BP-5642.  The dough is like a heavy cake batter.  I run the tap with cold water and make my fingers wet to shape the loaves or buns.  You can make it fairly wet.

 Cover with a oiled piece of plastic placed loosely over the pans. Let rise until just above top of pan,

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  If it gets too brown reduce temperature but leave bread in at least 50 minutes otherwise they might sink.

For buns grease a baking sheet and scoop a “plop” of dough onto baking sheet and shape with wet fingers.  Bread tops are also shaped with a wet hand to give loaves a smooth top.

**chickpea can be substituted for part of the teff or buckwheat up to 1/2.

Bread Batter is scooped in loaf pans.

This is how it should look after you wet your fingers and shape it.

 loaves are made with less teff and 1/2 cup flax ,using chickpea flour and lighter flours to make more of a "white" loaf

See the nice texture!  Makes a great sandwich and also toasts great.  

For the other ½ cup gf flours I have used ¼ tapioca and ¼ cup sorghum, or  brown rice and potato starch, or millet.  

I have also doubled the chia and pysillium husk with good results. 

For a round pumpernickel loaf I have added a bit of cocoa powder to give it a nice dark colour and then let it rise in a round pan to give it the traditional shape - great for use with spinach dip.

Cool  loaves a little and remove from pan.   We slice the bread and eat it fresh for lunch.  The remaining bread is sliced when cold and then frozen.  You can either defrost and eat it or if you want it more like fresh, just zap in the microwave until quite warm.  You can then make sandwiches without toasting the bread.