Empanada Dough Recipe II Dairy Free "NEW"

This one has a Cornish pasty filling from Food.com 

Tested this recipe a couple times.  Do not overfill the empanadas or they will split.  It's really nice to have a bag of frozen ones on hand .  I serve them with soup on Sundays to both the gluten free and non gluten free members of the family.  They are nice dipped in salsa or sweet chili sauce.


Empanada Dough - Dairy Free
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup fine rice flour (asian kind)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 tbsp. oil
1-2 Tbsp. dried Parmesan cheese or more "to taste" optional
3-4 Tbsp. water or enough to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Mix dry ingredients together in mixing bowl.  Stir the oil and egg together with a fork.  Make "well" in flour mixture and add the oil/egg mixture and 3 tablespoons water.  Knead until smooth adding a little more water at a time until the dough feels "just right".  It will be a dough that is ot sticky and is very nice to handle.
Roll out into circles (size is up to you.  I do either small appetizer sizes about 4" or lunch size 6.5".)
Fillings should not be runny.  There are lots on the internet to choose from.  Place filling on one side.  Fold dough over and crimp with fork.  You can freeze before baking or bake first at 350 for 30 minutes until light brown.  To bake frozen ones place on baking sheet at bake at 350-375 for approx. 30-40 minutes.  They can be eaten hot or cold.    I use the Birds Hill Perogy Press for the small ones and the Birds Hill Pie Machine with empanada dies for the  6.5" ones.
TIP: before baking -
 brush with egg white and a little water to make a glossy finish or with a whole egg and a little water to make a golden finish.  Can also brush with milk.
Large Recipe:
400 grams tapioca flour
400 grams sweet rice flour
400 grams rice flour
14 grams xanthan gum
20 grams salt
16 grams baking powder
500 ml cooking oil
8 large eggs
63ml - 500 ml water (1 1/2 cups - 2 cups)
Method:  Same as above.

Gluten Free Banana Muffins II - Our Favourite ! Easy to Make!

I converted a long used "regular flour" recipe to gluten free last night.  The muffins looked and had texture like "regular" muffins .  Fresh - they were amazing! I kept them overnight in a plastic
container and they were still great this morning.  They stay good for days and freeze well.  Can also me made into Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins or Gluten Free Apple Spice Muffins.
Gluten Free Banana Muffins II
1 1/2 cups fine rice flour (I use Asian -it's not gritty)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup buttermilk powder *see notes below
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed or pureed ripe banana about 2-3 bananas (for other options see notes below)
1/2 cup cooking oil (canola, olive oil etc)
1/2 cup water *see notes below

Notes:
Options:

• add 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins
•  I add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice to flour mixture 
•  replace banana puree with thick applesauce or pumpkin puree
•  No buttermilk powder?  Substitute the 1/2 cup water with yogurt, or milk and 1 tsp. vinegar

Method:
Place dry ingredients in mixing bowl.  Wisk together with fork or wisk.  In 2 cup measurer place the pureed banana, oil and egg.  Mix together with fork until blended well. Make well in center of dry mixture.  Pour in the wet mixture and the water (or sour milk) - mixing lightly with fork until blended.  Divide into 12 paper lined muffin cups.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until done.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust - Giant Freezer Recipe!

This recipe makes about about 32 pizza crusts about 12" round.  For a 12" round use about 450 grams.
I like freezing them in weights of 700 grams for a baking sheet pizza.

this is a picture of the bottom side of the crust

4 kg rice flour (Asian, fine rice flour - not gritty)
2 kg tapioca flour
80 grams salt
32 grams guar gum
480 grams sugar
12 tbsp. yeast
32 tbsp. oil
20 cups water

Method:
Weigh out the dry ingredients place it all in the large bowl of your commercial mixer (like a hobart)
Turn the mixer on low for a few seconds to mix the ingredients.

In 8 cup measurer place part of the water, all the yeast and a tablespoon of the sugar,  Stir and let sit until foamy..
Add all the wet ingredients, including the yeast mixture to the mixer bowl.  Mix slowly until incorporated.  You might have to scrape the sides of the bowl.  Mix for 5 minutes until the lumps are out and it thickens.

Have 21-22 freezer containers ready.  Using a digital kitchen scale place the container on the scale and reset to 0.  Add 700 grams dough to each container.  Cover and immediately place in freezer.
Check to make sure the dough has not risen and popped off the lids.

how it looks after spreading

This lasts for 3 months for sure.  To use - take out the containers around noon and place on counter.  Should be defrosted enough by 5 or 6 p.m. to make pizza crusts.  Place on well oiled baking sheets or pizza pans .  Spread with oiled hands.  It will be thin.

gets a little cracked on top - no problem!

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes until done.  Add pizza toppings.  Return to oven and bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Apricot Ginger Chicken

I had some home made apricot jam. Tried this recipe from NewLeaf Wellness and we enjoyed it.

• 1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or thighs
• 2/3 cup apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated. (I freeze them and then it's really easy to slice)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1lb frozen green beans

Prep:

Combine all the ingredients in large Ziploc freezer bag.  Remove as much air as jpossible - seal and lay flat in the freezer.

To Cook:

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Place in Crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over hot cooked rice.

Will take picture the next time we make it :)

Homemade Pork Sausage - gluten free

1 pound lean ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce or sambal oelek
Mix altogether and form into patties or cylinders. Fry in lightly oiled frying pan until done.  May be frozen and reheated.   Can also be used in recipes asking for pork sausage.

Meatless Lentil Taco Salad - Really Good! Serves 6

If you like the idea of one or two meatless meals a week this is a good one to try.  I tested it on 4 teens ages 15-19 and they all really liked it!

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, diced -  about 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon garlic diced ( I use the diced garlic in a jar from Costco)
• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 1 package taco seasoning (or make your own)
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth ( I use water and bouillon paste or cube)

In large skilled heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic.  Rinse your dried lentils.  Add the lentils to the onions and mix.  Stir in the taco seasoning and saute about 1 more minute.  Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered until the lentils are tender about 30 - 40 minutes.  Remove cover and simmer until the mixture is thickened.  Using your potato masher or a fork mash up the lentils a bit.

To serve:  crush some taco chips on your plate, spoon the taco lentil mixture over the chips.  Add lettuce, sour cream, salsa and grated cheddar.  Could also be rolled up in a tortilla or a pita.  Serves 6

To make into a freezer meal you could place the garlic, onions, lentils and taco seasoning into a zip lock freezer bag.  To cook thaw overnight in fridge and fry until onions are softened.  Then proceed with the vegetable broth and simmering.  I think this could also be done in a slow cooker by preparing everything up to the simmering stage and then cooling and freezing.  Then on the day of cooking place in slow cooker to cook until lentils are soft.  

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Bars

I am trying to come up with a selection of easy gluten free baking recipes that use a minimum amount of ingredients.  Many times I read comments on the internet where people say they don't want to try baking gluten free because there are so many different flours.  I figure that fine rice flour is much like white all purpose flour and if I can adjust some recipes so that they will only use rice flour or one other flour it will be much like baking before our celiac/gluten free days.  The nice thing with this recipe is that it does not require guar gum or xanthan gum.  The teenagers came home from school and each daughter said "wow, these are good!" can I have another one?".  These are my kids who do not require a gluten free diet so I figure the chocolate chip bars pass the taste test!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Bars - Easy!  Delicious!

1 c butter, melted
2 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups fine rice flour - I use Asian
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dates, finely chopped
Mix in order given.
Spread in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake @ 325 for 30 minutes until golden brown and tester inserted comes clean. Chill before slicing.