Sorry, Late again!

I apologize for my tardiness as of late, taking care of Lucy has become a full-time job! (if you didn't read my post from before; Lucy is my 10 month old golden who had hip replacement surgery 2 weeks ago) Anyway, I will try to be more prompt with my posts in the future.


Over the next few days I hope to post my Éclair recipe, as well as some new dinner recipes.

Also I will be adding a new category of posts to my blog: Gardening. As I have said before: good ingredients equals good food. There really is no better way to get good produce than to grow it yourself. This year I will be starting all of my plants from seeds (a first for me!). And I will document everything from my garden planning, to planting, to (hopefully) good recipes for all of my herbs and veggies. Wish me luck!

Gluten-Free Copper Mountain Quiche

With its press in crust, this quiche is especially easy to make Gluten Free. But, with the large amounts of cheese and cream cheese, the original non-gluten free recipe (cut out of newspaper by my Mom 20 years ago) had a fat content that made you think: Wow! Massive Coronary for dinner! So when I created the GF version I tried to lower the fat content as well. This new version tastes as great as the old one and is just as easy, so enjoy!

GF Copper Mountain Quiche

Ingredients:
1¼ Cups GF Flour (divided):
                                            ⅓ Cup GF Oat Flour* (GF Sorghum Flour)
                                            ⅓ Cup GF Potato Starch
                                            ⅓ Cup GF Corn Flour* (or GF Rice Flour)
                                            ¼ Cup GF Tapioca Starch
½ tsp. Guar Gum
⅛ - ¼ tsp. Xanthan Gum
½ cup Butter; cut into 1 inch cubes and cold
4 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese; cut into quarters or eighths and cold
1 lb. Fresh Spinach; washed, trimmed, and spun or
                1 - 10 oz. package Frozen Chopped Spinach; thawed, drained/squeezed dry
1 cup Cheddar Cheese (low-fat); shredded
1 cup Swiss Cheese (low-fat); shredded
3 Eggs; lightly beaten or 1 Egg and ½ cup Egg Beaters; lightly beaten
½ cup Light or Fat Free Mayonnaise (if using Fat Free, check label to insure that it's gluten-free!)
½ cup Milk (use 1% or 2 %; skim is not recommended)
5 - 6 slices of Bacon; cooked and crumbled
8 oz. or 1¼ cup of Mushrooms, sliced
1 - bunch of Green Onions; trimmed and finely sliced or 2-3 Tbsp. Chives; minced

Measure and sift the GF flour ingredients (Oat Flour though Tapioca Starch) into a medium bowl. Sift or stir with a whisk until evenly combined. Re-measure the flour to 1¼ cups; reserving any extra flour in a separate container for future use. With a whisk stir in the Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum; sift one or two more times to combine evenly. Measure 2 Tbsp of GF Flour into a small bowl and set both bowls aside.

Use one of the two methods below to make the press-in crust:

Method 1: Add cold Butter pieces, quartered Cream Cheese, and the contents of the medium bowl (the 1 cup+ of GF Flour mixture) to the bowl of a large food processor, fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse for 10 to 20 seconds, or just until the mixture is combined and crumbly. Evenly press the crumbly mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate (deep dish is preferred), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hr. While crust refrigerates resume with the directions below.

Method 2: Add cold Butter pieces and quartered Cream Cheese to the medium bowl with the (1 cup+) GF Flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter and cream cheese into the GF flour until combined and crumbly. Evenly press the crumbly mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate (deep dish is preferred), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hr. While crust refrigerates resume with the directions below.

Preheat oven to 350°.

If using Fresh Spinach: Wilt spinach in a large covered saucepan over medium-low heat, cooking just until spinach wilts and is tender. Drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. Set aside.

If using Frozen Spinach: Thaw at room temp. or defrost in microwave, drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. Set aside.

In a large bowl: combine the drained spinach with the 2 Tbsp. of GF Flour mixture, add in all remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. If needed cover and refrigerate mixture until crust has chilled long enough.

Bake: Pour mixture over chilled crust and bake for 1 hr. or until quiche is set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve hot, leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to a month.


To Anyone Who Eats a Vegan, Lactose-Free and/or Dairy Free Diet: While I have not tried to make this Lactose or Dairy Free, myself I'm sure that it can be done. I would suggest using a dairy free margarine or shortening in place of the butter, a cream cheese substitute like Tofutti, Lactose-free cheese and milk or a soy-based cheese substitute ( NuTofu or Soy A Melt) and a dairy free milk substitute like almond milk or soy milk. If anyone tries to make this recipe Lactose or Dairy Free; I would appreciate it if you let know your results! Good Luck!

If anyone wants to make the original version (non-gluten free), then use 1 cup All Purpose Flour for the crust and two Tbsp. of All Purpose Flour in the filling. (And don't worry about the Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum, they are binders that are used in GF baking to take the place of the binder: gluten that is a natural component in wheat flour.)

GF Washington Gingerbread

GF Washington Gingerbread

Does anyone remember the Washington Cake mixes that they used to sell in the grocery store? The company that owns Washington Brand, no longer sells cake mixes; which is unfortunate because they used to sell a mix that made the best Gingerbread (not that it really matters though because the mix was not gluten-free)! Anyway, this recipe replicates that Gingerbread and it is even better than I remembered. It has that spicy aroma that is just intoxicating, not to mention that peppery taste that has just enough sweetness to carry it off...yum!

Ingredients:

2 Cups GF Flour:
                            ⅓ Cup GF Corn Flour (not corn meal!)
                            ⅔ Cup GF Oat Flour
                            1 Cup GF Potato Starch
½ tsp. Guar Gum
½ tsp. Xanthan Gum
¼ tsp. Pectin (optional)
1 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
½ Cup Sugar
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
1½ tsp. Ginger
1 tsp. Allspice
1 Cup Molasses
2 large Egg
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 Cup Water


Preheat oven to 375° (350° if using a dark or glass pan). Grease an 8x8 square brownie pan; set aside.

Measure and sift GF Flour ingredients in a medium bowl, re-measure dry ingredients to 2 cups total; save excess GF flour for future use. Then whisk and sift in the remaining dry ingredients: Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pectin (optional), Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Sugar, Cinnamon, Ginger, and Allspice; set aside.

Add molasses, egg, oil, and water to the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl, then beat at medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.

Pour batter into the greased 8x8 pan and bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack until ready to serve. Gingerbread can be served warm or at room temperature.



Makes one 8x8 pan of Gingerbread

Notes:

• Bake at 350° if using a dark or glass pan.

• If you want to make a non-gluten free version of this recipe; follow the instructions below:

Omit the GF flours, Gaur Gum, Xanthan Gum, and Pectin; using 2 cups of All-Purpose White Flour in its place.
Skipping the instructions to measure and sift the GF flours together; just sift the 2 cups of White Flour with the dry ingredients: Salt, B. Powder, B. Soda, Sugar, Cinnamon, Ginger, and Allspice.
Then continue to follow the recipe as written.

CONTINENTAL SAUSAGE SKILLET

CONTINENTAL SAUSAGE SKILLET

My Mom used to make this recipe when I was a kid (it was the only way she could get me to eat cabbage). Still one of our family's favorite dishes; it's a combination of sweet red cabbage with sausage served over mashed potatoes (kind of a new take on Banger's and Mash). This recipe can also be made Vegan by replacing the sausage with either Worcestershire marinated Tofu or a Tofu Sausage(be careful when using Vegan substitutes as they may not be gluten-free!) and by replacing the butter and milk in the mashed potatoes with Vegan alternatives. Anyway you make this recipe it will taste great, so enjoy!

Ingredients:

1- small head of Red Cabbage, shredded (or 2 bags of pre-shredded Red Cabbage)

1- med. sweet Onion, sliced

1½ lbs. of Sausage links, cooked and sliced *(see notes below)

⅔ cup Water, divided (⅓ cup and ⅓ cup)
2 - 16 oz. cans of White Cannellini Beans and/or Butter Beans, drained
¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
¼ cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
¾ tsp. Salt
¼ - ½ tsp. Fresh ground Black Pepper (optional)
Cooking oil
Mashed Potatoes (optional)


First, cook/boil the sausage links (following the directions on the package). If you are using a precooked sausage such as kielbasa or are using a vegan substitute (i.e. vegan sausage or Tofu), then you can skip this step. * see notes below recipe.

Once sausage is cooked, cut the sausage into ½ to 1 inch diagonal slices (i.e. cut on the bias). And set aside.

Pour 1-2 Tbsp. of oil into a large (5qt/13 inch or larger) skillet and heat over med-high heat. Once oil is hot, add in the Sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until Sausage slices have browned, then remove from skillet and set aside.

Add ⅓ cup of Water and Onion slices to the skillet, cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add in the shredded Cabbage, cover and allow to cook over for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until Cabbage is tender.

Meanwhile drain the Beans, and mix the Ketchup, Brown Sugar, Worcestershire sauce (if using), Salt and Pepper in a small bowl. Once cabbage is tender, add in the drained beans, ketchup mixture and ⅓ cup of water. Cook over high heat until mixture boils, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the browned sausage to the skillet, stir, and allow to cook covered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until it begins to simmer again. Remove from heat and keep covered until you are ready to serve. This dish is best when served over mashed potatoes.

*Notes:

The original recipe called for either Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, but in really any kind of sausage can be used. I have begun to use Kielbasa instead and I think I may like it better than the Italian sausage in this recipe. But no matter what flavor/ kind of sausage I use, I always use a low fat and/or turkey version to cut down the fat.


Now if you want to make this recipe Vegan, then be sure to replace the sausage with a vegan/ tofu sausage (check the ingredients carefully if you want the recipe to remain gluten free!) or you can use Worcestershire Marinated Tofu in place of the sausage (see recipe below)

Worcestershire Marinated Tofu

Ingredients:

2- Firm or Extra Firm Tofu; pressed and drained (see package directions or How to press/drain Tofu )
1 cup Red Wine
½ cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 -3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
2 - 3 cloves of Garlic; minced or smashed
1-2 tsp. Onion Powder
1-2 tsp. ground Marjoram
½ tsp. Nutmeg (optional)
¼ tsp. Allspice (optional)
¼ tsp. Mace (optional)
½ - 1 tsp. All natural liquid smoke (optional)

Press and drain tofu. Cut Tofu into bite sized cubes or slices and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients well and pour into a large zip-lock bag. Add tofu to the bag, zip shut, and shake the bag, covering the tofu pieces with the marinade. Allow tofu to marinate overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. Drain tofu and use in place of the sausage.

Jan. 19th 2010

First, I feel I must apologize for neglecting my posts as of late.


Yesterday my 10 month old puppy (Lucy) had hip replacement surgery. You see we discovered last month that she had developed severe hip dysplasia (a genetic disorder that is not uncommon in even the best bred Golden Retrievers). It quickly became evident that without surgery her life would not only have been full of pain and discomfort, but that her life expectancy would most likely have been drastically reduced. Even so it was really hard to put her through this.

Thankfully the surgery seems to have been a success. I brought her home today and right now she is sleeping off her tranquilizer. Still watching her sleep with a 6 inch line of staples in her side just about breaks my heart. So please keep your fingers crossed for her and let's pray that she and I survive the 3 month recovery process!

I promise to try to be more consistent with my posting in the future. In fact I will probably be posting some new recipes tomorrow. Anyway, thank you for your patience!

 Lucy

(caught sleeping on the couch!)

Lucy

(waiting for Grandma to come home!)

GF Biscuit Topped Chicken Pot Pie

GF Biscuit Topped Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is my definition of comfort food. It's tantalizing aroma will always make me think of home.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. Butter
2 - 3 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small Onion or 2 Shallots, peeled and minced
1-2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp. dry rosemary)
1-2 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme or Fresh Lemon Thyme, minced (or 1 tsp. dry thyme)
 2 tsp. Fresh Sage, minced (or ½ tsp. dry rubbed sage)
3 - 4 Tbsp. Corn Starch
2 - 4 cups Chicken Stock (for see: Mom's Crockpot Chicken) or GF Chicken broth (i.e. Kitchen Basics, Pacific, etc.)
½ - 1 tsp. Lemon Pepper (optional)
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper
½ cup Milk or Half and Half
2-3 Cups cooked Chicken, chopped (see: Mom's Crockpot Chicken)
1 cup of Frozen Peas (optional)
one recipe of GF Biscuits (see recipe GF Biscuits)



Preheat oven to 425°.

Sauté Vegetables: Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the chopped carrots and sauté for 5 minutes; then add in the minced onion/shallots and sauté for another 5 minutes or until the onion/shallots begins to become translucent.

Make a Rue: Stir the minced or dry herbs and 3 Tbsp. of cornstarch into the hot pan. While stirring continue to cook the mixture to create a rue, (the cornstarch should absorb all of the butter and thicken into a smooth paste) add the additional Tbsp. of cornstarch if needed. Once the mixture has thickened, cook for one or two more minutes or until the mixture has browned slightly.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling: Then using a whisk gently stir 2 cups of the Chicken stock into the pan with the Rue. While stirring constantly cook the mixture until it has thickened and has begun to simmer. Then turn heat down to low and add more chicken stock if needed (the mixture should have the consistency of a loose gravy, you don't want it to be too thick or too thin). Bring the mixture back to a gentle simmer over low heat, then add in the Milk/Half & Half, chopped Chicken meat, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Pepper and Frozen Peas. Once again bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Then cover and remove from heat.

Assemble the Pot Pie: Prepare GF biscuits (i.e. mixing the dough, roll them out, and cut with biscuit cutter). Spray a 9x12 inch. rectangular dish (or a 2 quart oval/round baking dish) with cooking spray (i.e. Pam). Pour the warm chicken filling into the bottom of the dish and carefully lay the cut biscuit dough rounds on top. Extra biscuits can be placed onto a small cooking sheet or onto foil. Place extra biscuits and Chicken Pot Pie into the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until biscuits and biscuit topping are done. Remove from oven and serve.


NOTES:

•  Other Recipes needed for this recipe are: Mom's Crockpot Chicken and GF Biscuits.
•  Mom's Crockpot Chicken needs to be made the day before so that the fat that congeals on top of the stock can be removed prior to making this recipe. The fat may be thrown away or you can use the chicken fat in place of the butter to give the filling even more flavor.
•  To make everything easier, I will usually make the biscuit dough mixture ahead of time - combining the dry ingredients (flours etc.) and cutting in the butter/shortening. Then I store the mixture in the refrigerator or freezer until I am ready to make the biscuits (just prior to assembling the Pot Pie).

GF Biscuits

GF Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 Cups Gluten-Free Flour :
¾ Cup GF Potato Starch
1 Cup GF Oat Flour* (or Sorghum Flour)
¾ Cup GF Tapioca Starch
½ Cup GF Corn Flour**
1 ½ tsp. Guar Gum
¼ tsp. Xanthan Gum
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
¾ tsp. Cream of Tartar
½ Cup Butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 Tbsp. Shortening (GF Margarine)
1 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 425°. Measure out Gluten-Free flour ingredients into a medium bowl, stir with a whisk and/or sift together until completely combined. Re-measure the flour ingredients as 3 cups (dry measure); reserve any remaining flour for rolling out the biscuits. Sift remaining dry ingredients and the 3 cups of flour into a large bowl.


Using a pastry blender or two butter knives cut the butter into the dry mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (do not over mix, some small pieces of butter should still be visible!). Using a fork, make a well in the center of the mixture; add Buttermilk (or milk) all at once. Stir just until moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (use extra reserved flour) or a large piece of parchment paper. Knead dough gently; just until dough holds together. Roll out dough to 3/4 inch thickness, cut dough out with biscuit cutter (I like large biscuits so I use a 3 ½ inch biscuit cutter). Re-roll out excess dough for additional biscuits. (NOTE: each time that you knead/roll out the dough, the dough gets tougher; so try to cut out as many biscuits as possible each time that you roll it out.)

Place biscuits one inch apart from each other on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

For Chive Biscuits OR Herb Biscuits:
Stir 1-3 Tbsp. minced Chives OR Fresh Herbs (Thyme, Rosemary, etc.) into the dry mixture, just before cutting in butter.