White Cake

I had a request for white cake, so here's mine. This turns out really yummy. We "frost" with berries, but sometimes I make a frosting out of honey or rice syrup whipped with palm shortening. It works alright, but it doesn't work as a buttercream substitute very well. I also frosted a cake for my son's birthday last year by thinning the marshmallow creme with some extra water.

Cream 1/2 butter or shortening with 1 1/3 C sugar. I used rapadura or turbinado. Date sugar or maple sugar would work too.
Add 2 tsp vanilla

sift together:
1 1/2 C brown rice flour
1 C tapioca starch
1/2 C arrowroot powder
1/3 C sorghum flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp guar gum
3 tsp baking powder

Add flour mixture to creamed butter/sugar mixture in scoops alternating with 2 C water. Yes, you really do want to do it this way--it makes the cake lighter.
Bake in well greased and floured 9x13 pan in 350F oven for 30-35 minutes. Or in 2 8" round pans for 20-25 minutes. Check center of cake with a toothpick for done-ness.

For a chocolate cake, replace the arrowroot powder with 2/3 C cocoa powder and add 2 tbsp oil. Bake the same.

Chicken Curry

We had this tonight and it was yummy. I didn't really measure--but it's dinner. Close enough is good enough, right? If there is a flaw, let me know. Just as with any recipe on here!

2 tbsp coconut oil or other vegetable oil of choice
1" knob ginger-grated
1 clove garlic
1/2 medium onion diced (or 3-4 green onions, sliced thin)
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin
1# cubed chicken
2 sliced bell peppers
1 can (2 cups) coconut milk
1 bunch or 1 package clean baby spinach

Heat oil in pan. Add ginger, garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes, until onion is tender. Add spices and heat until you can smell it well above the pan. Add chicken and cook until done, stirring often. When chicken is just done, add the peppers and coconut milk. Simmer until milk is reduced somewhat and peppers are tender.
In a steamer, pile the spinach and steam for 1 or 2 minutes--until just wilted. You don't want mush, just lots of soft green leaves. Arrange a layer of spinach in each person's bowl and spoon chicken curry over the top. We stirred ours up in our bowls, but you could also do it in the kitchen and serve as a 1 dish meal.
This serves around 4 people.

Quick pork chops

I am always thinking up dinner at the last minute. Not always a good thing for someone who is so limited in ingredient options! But I discovered a new friend in my vacuum sealer. I use the mason jar attachment.

1# pork cutlets
1/2 C tamari-wheat free
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1# mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil

Place pork cutlets in a large mason jar. Pour tamari, vinegar, and honey over the top. Seal with the vacuum sealer according to manufacturer's directions. Shake jar well and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
Slice mushrooms and saute in large skillet with oil. When mushrooms have begun to wilt, push to the sides and place pork and marinade in pan. Add additional oil if necessary. I cook on high 3 minutes per side and then reduce heat. Cook until chops reach a temperature of 155-160F, or are a pale pink inside. Serve with mushrooms and pan drippings spooned over the top.

Coconut cookies

2/3 C honey
1/2C Spectrum palm shortening
3/4C millet flour
1/3C coconut flour
2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp quar gum

Cream honey and shortening. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. If the dough is not mixing together or seems too dry, add a little water. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
You can add chocolate chips or flaked coconut if desired (1/3C each) or both! We have also been playing with putting raw cocoa nibs in our cookies and are very pleased with the results.

Marshmallows

2/3 c cold water (divided)
2 envelopes (2 tbsp) unflavored gelatin
1 1/3 granulated sugar or rapadura
1/2 cane syrup or brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
vegetable oil for the pan

If making marshmallows, line a 9x13 pan with foil and brush with oil

Place 1/3 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Put the sugar, syrup, salt and remaining 1/3 cup water in a heavy saucepan with a tight fitting lid, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cover the pan and place on moderately low heat. Remove the cover after 4 to 5 minutes. The steam will have caused any sugar crystals to dissolve and the syrup will be bubbling lightly. Increase the heat to high, insert a candy thermometer and boil the syrup without stirring until it reaches 240 degrees F. Immediately remove from the heat.
Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Slowly and carefully pour the syrup into the gelatin while the mixer is beating constantly at medium speed. When all of the syrup has been added increase the speed to high and whip for about 10 minutes. The mixture should be lukewarm, white and creamy. Add the vanilla at the end of mixing. At this point you have marshmallow creme. Good for using in all those classic marshmallow creme recipes.
If you want marshmallows, pour into the prepared pan, sprinkle with sugar, and let set out until dry to the touch. Cut to desired shape/size and toss with more sugar. I toss with tapioca starch instead of sugar.

I plan to experiment with this recipe when I get a chance. I haven't used it since my son developed a sensitivity to cane. My plan to to make it out of rice/agave or something else. We'll see what I come up with and I'll update later.

Flexible muffins

We make a lot of muffins around here. They are quick and easy to make, allow for nearly infinite variations, and are fun for little hands to eat. Experiment with flour combinations, sweeteners and additions. It's also fun to use different muffin tins. Just make sure to grease them well. GF flours tend to be sticky. I've had good luck with silicone pans.

Muffins

1 C rice flour, amaranth, millet, sorghum or other non-starch flour
½ C tapioca starch
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp guar gum
1 tsp gelatin or 1 egg or equivalent
1 C milk or water
¼ melted earth balance or oil

Mix dry ingredients well. Whisk gelatin and oil into water. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Spoon into oiled muffin tins. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Chocolate muffins- Stir in 3 Tbsp cocoa powder with dry ingredients and increase sugar to ¼ cup.

Carrot muffins- Add 1 tsp cinnamon to dry ingredients and omit sugar. Use ¼ cup brown sugar instead. Toss ½ cup grated carrot into dry ingredients after they are mixed.

Blueberry muffins- Increase sugar to 1/3 cup and toss ½ cup fresh blueberries with dry ingredients. Or if using canned, drain and add to liquid before pouring into dry ingredients. May need to be baked at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Graham Crackers

Graham crackers are one of the best snacks. And with summer coming up, I'm starting to think of s'mores! I'll dig out my marshmallow recipe and post it soon.
Just like regular crackers, the trick is to roll these nice and thin. I spread the dough on a sheet of parchment, cover it with plastic wrap, and roll out. Then I transfer it to a baking sheet. This makes it easier to roll out evenly.

“Graham” Crackers

1 C rice flour
1 C sorghum flour
½ c tapioca starch
1/2C teff flour
1 tsp guar gum
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 C brown sugar
¼ C honey
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 C Earth Balance/butter
water as needed

Combine all ingredients except water in a food processor or stand mixer. Add just enough water to help the dough hold together. It will still look crumbly, but you can press it with your fingers and it will hold together well. Turn dough out onto parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roll out very thin (1/8”). Score into squares or rectangle. Bake at 325F for 20 minutes. Re-score and return to oven if needed to crisp the crackers more. Cool on rack and store in an airtight container. If they last that long!

Meatloaf

I have those weird kids that love meatloaf. It's like saying we're having a special dinner. Oh well. It is a great way to get them to eat vegetables. Yeah really! And I don't have to lie to them about it either. They help me make it and know exactly what goes in here!

1# ground meat (beef, pork, chicken or turkey all work great)
3-4 leaves of kale, stripped from large vein
2 peeled carrots
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/3 C flax meal
2 tsp parsley
2 tsp Spike
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place kale, carrots, and onion in food processor. Run until veggies are finely chopped. Mix this in with all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to a greased loaf pan and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer (this will vary with the meat you use, obviously). Let rest in pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Pie Crust

I love this pie crust. There is a bit of a trick to it, but it's simple. Just like wheat flour crust, keep everything cold. Sometimes, if I am filling the crust to bake a fruit pie, I'll make up the crust and store it in the fridge while I get the fruit ready.

Pie Crust

1 C brown rice flour
¾ C tapioca or arrowroot starch
½ C millet flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp guar gum or xanthan gum
½ C shortening or Earth Balance
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
½ C ice cold water

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add vinegar and start mixing on low speed in mixer or food processor. Slowly pour in cold water until mixture forms a ball. You may not use all the water. Dough should be soft but not too sticky. Dough will not hold together as well as wheat pie dough. For a bottom crust, roll out ½ of dough on waxed paper and carefully transfer to a lightly oiled pie pan. Invert over pan and slowly peel back paper. Crust may need to be finger pieced.

For a top crust. Roll out and refrigerate until firm. Invert crust over filled pie. Slowly peel back paper. This may need to be pieced as well. As an alternative, we often roll out the crust and cut out pieces with cookie cutters and arrange these on top of filled pie. For a slick looking fluted edge, trim the crust even with the pie pan. Roll a slim "snake" of leftover pie dough and fix around the edge. Use your fingers to make the fluted edge.

Biscuits Light and Fluffy

These are my favorite biscuit recipe. They are light, fluffy and split just right for a good spreading of honey or jam. Stored in an airtight container, they are even good the next day with some leftovers spread over the top. Biscuits and gravy anyone?

Biscuits

2 C brown rice flour
1 C tapioca starch
½ C sorghum flour
1 Tbsp cream of tartar
½ Tbsp baking soda
½ Tbsp guar or xanthan gum
1tsp salt
2 Tbsp sweetener (honey, rapadura, agave...)
½ C Earth Balance or Spectrum shortening
1 ½ C water or milk substitute

Combine dry ingredients in mixer and mix well. Add shortening and mix until crumbly. Pour in water all at once and mix until just combined. Roll out on flour dusted wax paper and cut into rounds. Or use cookie cutters for fun shapes. Bake on a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake at 425^o 10-15 minutes or until light brown.

Bread

I can't use this recipe anymore for us, since we have gone to a grain rotation diet. But I worked for years to come up with this recipe. It is the best bread recipe I found that uses no eggs or dairy or legumes. And it really does taste like bread.

2 C brown rice flour
1 ½ C tapioca flour
1 C sorghum flour
½ C teff flour
¾ C flaxmeal (or use 3 large eggs, slightly beaten)
½ Tbsp guar gum
2 tsp salt
2 C warm (110F ) water
¼ C honey
2 Tbsp instant-type dry yeast (Red Starr is gluten free)

Add honey and yeast to warm water. Let
stand about 5 minutes. Mix flours, flax meal, guar gum and salt
together in mixer bowl. Pour liquid into flour mixture. Add more
water if needed to make a thick, sticky batter. Spoon into 2 small,
well oiled loaf pans. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake 40 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until golden brown and bread begins to pull
away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan 5 minutes and then turn
out onto rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing as GF
baked goods tend to be gummy while hot.

This recipe tastes the most like whole wheat bread to us.

Teff Muffins

Teff the super grain. Teff the mighty snack maker! These muffins hold together just well enough to make it until mid-morning snack time in a container in a backpack. With the flax and coconut, you'll be able to make it until lunch, even if it's a bit late.

Teff Muffins
2 C teff flour
3/4 C flax meal
3/4 Coconut meal (I make this by grinding coconut in a coffee grinder--same as I use for making flax meal)
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp quar gum
1/4 tsp salt
Mix well and add:
1/2 C honey
1/2 C melted coconut oil
1 C water

Mix until combined and spoon into muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes.

Millet Banana Pancakes

These pancakes are light and fluffy-just like mom used to make (or in my case--Dad!). You can vary the sweetener to get just the taste you want. Try using maple or honey.
We like these topped with maple syrup or homemade jam. Or try slicing up some more bananas.

Millet banana pancakes
2 med mashed bananas
1/4 melted coconut oil
1 C water
2/3 C tapioca starch (or other starch if tapioca is not okay)
2 C millet flour
1/3 C coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar or use 2 tsp vinegar in the liquids if c of t is out
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp quar gum
dash salt
Mix all together with additional water to make a thick, pourable batter. You can use fruit juice or add honey if you don't want to use stevia.

Pour onto hot griddle and cook like regular pancakes.