Rachel’s Recipe Box

We, like everyone else we know, are finding ourselves on a tighter budget because of the cost of gas and heating oil. My daughters love polenta, and while I am Italian, I always thought it was too tricky to make from scratch. I mean really, would they be selling it in rolls at the store for $3 or more if it was easy?

Yes.

Polenta is incredibly easy to make, and while it requires a bit of time, it’s done in under an hour. You need to simmer your marinara for a while anyway, so let it simmer while the polenta bakes. There’s very little work involved after the first few minutes other than being in the house while the oven’s on. I have adapted a recipe for polenta from The Silver Spoon, a fabulous cookbook for anything and everything Italian. I bought the cookbook for everyone at Christmas a couple years ago, and we’re all still cooking our way through it!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, top 8 allergen free, and vegan/vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 3 cups cornmeal (I use fine-ground, but a courser grind is more traditional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• (optional)2-3 shakes basil or oregano or Italian seasoning
• olive oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 400F

Bring the water and salt (and spices if using) to a boil in a large saucepan or medium-sized soup pot. Make sure you have enough room in the pot to add the cornmeal.

While the water is boiling, drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a 9×13 pan or two smaller pans.

When the water boils, sprinkle in the cornmeal with one hand, and whisk it into the water with the other hand. Whisk carefully so there aren’t too many lumps, and watch out for spitting cornmeal, it can burn. (You may want to don your Kevlar® gloves for this part!)

Once all the cornmeal has been whisked into the water, you will have a nice cornmeal mush. Pat it into the oiled pan(s) with a spatula, then drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Slide it into the oven, and set the timer for 45 minutes.

Check the polenta - the top should be a bit crisp, and the edges golden brown. Slice and serve with a sauce. You’ll never buy the other stuff again!

Serve this with a lovely side salad and marinara and sausages (if not vegetarian). Mmmm… One of my daughters prefers the polenta plain, then eats the red sauce and sausages with a spoon!

This is a delicious gluten-free cornbread recipe that is just right - nice and moist. If you prefer dry cornbread, this isn’t the recipe for you. But if you’re looking for a nice, moist cornbread, it’s wonderful. This is also one of the bread products that I have had work very well for me without eggs.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, vegetarian, vegan, and top 8 allergen free recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups fine cornmeal
• 1/2 cup millet or other yellowish flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch (or a mix with cornstarch or potato or whatever)
• 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 TBS baking powder (2 tsp if using eggs)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup applesauce (or 2 eggs)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 can creamed corn (14-15 oz)

grease an 8? round or square pan. Preheat oven to 350

Whisk together ingredients from cornmeal to salt in a medium bowl

Add wet ingredients and mix until just blended. It will look something like cake batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the top is firm and lightly brown. Serve warm with some butter substitute.

This goes great with ham, ribs, chili, bbq chicken or anything almost-southern. This is a wonderfully moist and hearty cornbread that tastes equally good with and without eggs.

What is thanksgiving without stuffing? OK, so we never actually stuff the turkey with it, but it’s still a delicious bread stuffing. Mmmmmm… This year it finally turned out just right. Yum.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, and vegan/vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 batches Focaccia or a loaf of prepared bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

• splash olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 handful parsley, chopped
• 1 cup chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth (you might need a little more or a little less)
• 2 tsp Bell’s seasoning
• 1 tsp salt (less if using prepared broth)
• several grinds black pepper
• (optional - 1 cup pecans, 1 cup dried cranberries, or other additions)

Method:
Make and cube the Focaccia, or cube a loaf of pre-purchased bread. Toast for about 30 minutes in a 300 degree oven, or in a toaster. When toasted, toss them into an oven-safe casserole dish.

Sauté onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of the Bell’s seasoning as it’s cooking. When soft, mix in with the toasted bread cubes. Add the 2nd tsp of Bell’s seasoning, plus salt and pepper and mix well.

Chop the fresh parsley, and mix that in with the bread cubes. (If you’re adding pecans, dried cranberries, or other variations, add them here) Pour the broth slowly over the bread and toss, mixing well so they are evenly moistened.

Cover, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serve with the rest of your Thanksgiving or other festive meal!

These are flaky and delicious. They are perfect for serving with some soup or fried chicken!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free recipe! It is also wheat free, dairy free, tree nut free, peanut free, top 8 allergen free, corn free, vegetarian recipe. This recipe only has two eggs in it, so it could easily be an egg free and vegan recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup light colored flour (we like amaranth, sorghum, or millet)

• 1 cup starch (arrowroot, tapioca, corn, potato, or sweet rice flour are some examples)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs (or your favorite egg replacer)
• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick) or shortening or lard
• 2/3 cup soured milk substitute (1 tsp lemon juice or vineger, plus enough water or milk substitute to make 2/3 cup liquid)

Method
Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Add the margarine/shortening/lard to the dry ingredients, and use 2 knives or a pastry blender to mix together until it looks like rough cornmeal.

Mix in the eggs and milk, and stir until just moistened.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet that has been well greased, lined with parchment, or lined with a silicone baking liner.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. They turn out a bit crumbly, but incredibly flaky and delicious!

This is one of the few bread products I got to work when we were egg-free. If you toast it, it will make a good base for a stuffing, too. You can slice it into triangles (like a pizza) to serve next to dinner, or slice it in other shapes and slice through the middle for a sandwich.

This recipe is currently gfcf, gluten, dairy, soy, nut, peanut, fish, shellfish, and corn free. It can be made egg-free by substituting your favorite egg replacer for the 2 eggs mentioned. This recipe contains gelatin, but you can substitute agar-agar powder for the gelatin to make it vegetarian/vegan.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 eggs (or egg replacer to substitute for 2 eggs)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1 cup gf flour (I like millet or sorghum for this, but bean or rice works too)
• 1/2 cup starch (tapoica, arrowroot, or corn)
• 1 tsp plain gelatin powder (or agar-agar powder)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum if corn-free)
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (we like McCormick’s or Mrs. Dash)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• more olive oil
• 1 tsp dry rosemary, gently crushed in your hand
• several pinches kosher salt

Method
Combine all liquid ingredients (plus sugar) in your mixer bowl. Beat together (with the attachment you would use for making a cake - not the whisk or the dough hook) while you assemble the dry ingredients.

In a smallish bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (from yeast through the 1 tsp kosher salt). Add to the wet ingredients in the mixer. Beat for about 2 minutes. The dough will look like brownie batter, not like traditional bread dough.

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides. Lightly oil either 2 8 inch round pie/cake tins or one long (7×11 or 9×13) pan. Oil your fingers, then spread the dough into the pans, stretching a bit and making fingertip indentations.

Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle the risen dough with a little olive oil, a few pinches of kosher salt, and the rosemary. You can really substitute any other herb for the rosemary, or leave it with just the kosher salt.

Bake for 30 minutes, until it turns golden brown.

Cut and serve. This is delicious served with any meal, as a snack by itself, or with a savory spread on top.

In honor of World Bread Day, I thought I’d share my favorite gluten-free bread recipe. This is another one I thought I had posted long ago, but found that it wasn’t here after searching for it.

I love this bread - it tastes great as bread, and works very well as dinner rolls or hamburger buns (mmmm…. sloppy joes!). I’ve served them at meals for people without dietary restrictions, and they’ve received rave reviews. It also makes a good base for stuffing if you toast it first. The recipe can be doubled without any trouble.

This recipe is gfcf, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, legume free, nut free, vegetarian, and can be corn-free. It is not egg free, sadly. I’ve had limited success using egg substitutes with this recipe - I would only try it with rolls, as the egg protein holds together the dough in a bread shape.

DO NOT skip the step of lining the pan with parchment paper or Reynolds Release if you are not using a silicone pan! GF bread dough is very sticky, and you’ll end up with bread stuck to the bottom of the pan no matter how well you grease it (unless you’re using a hamburger bun pan, in which case just greasing it is fine).

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup gf flour (amaranth, sorghum, and millet all work well here)

• 1 cup arrowroot, tapioca, or corn starch (potato starch tends to make it fall)
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 cup water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/4 t salt
• 2 t apple cider vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 eggs
• parchment paper or Reynolds Release foil

Method

Whip together the 3 eggs in your stand mixer.

While they are whipping, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and whisk together.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the eggs, mix together. Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating together on low. “Knead” for 4 minutes. The dough will be very wet, almost like cake batter.

Line a 9×5 (or so) bread pan with parchment or Reynolds Release (or grease your hamburger pan). Use a spatula to fill the bread pan with the dough/batter.

Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool (it cuts much better cooled if you can wait that long).

If you are going to save the bread, slice it once it is cooled, then place a piece of wax paper between the slices and freeze. Toast it straight from the freezer to warm it up.

This is an adaptation of a recipe created by Carol Fenster, the author of Cooking Free, which I highly recommend - I’ve never had one of her recipes fail, no matter how much I adapt it!

This recipe serves our pizza-loving family of 5. If you have a smaller family (or people who aren’t as pizza-loving), freeze the crusts extra after the first baking period, and keep them for when you want pizza and don’t have time to make it from scratch.

My gluten-eating husband says that this gluten free, dairy free recipe beats most pizzaria crusts.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, and South Beach phase 2 safe recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 TBS yeast
• 1 1/3 cups amaranth flour (or millet, sorghum, or bean)
• 1 cup starch (corn, tapioca, or arrowroot) — OR 2 1/3 cups pre-mixed flour
• 1/4 cup rice bran or flaxseed meal (optional)
• 4 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
• 2 tsp unflavored gelatin (or agar-agar if vegetarian/vegan)
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup warm water/milk substitute - mix half hot water with half milk substitute (rice, soy, coconut, almond, whatever)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cider vinegar

Method
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

Pour the dry ingredients (through salt) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for a few moments so they are well combined.

Add the olive oil and vinegar to the water/milk combo. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture. Beat on medium speed for a couple minutes, until it forms a big ball.

At this point, decide if you are making 1 very large pizza or several small pizzas. Plop the dough onto the lined baking sheet(s), and use your fingers to stretch it out. The dough is sticky, so either use some extra flour to coat your hands, or wet your hands so the dough won’t stick to them. Press and stretch until the dough is thin and shaped as desired (we usually make individual-sized pizzas, or a few individual and one larger one).

Bake WITHOUT TOPPINGS for 20 minutes.

Remove (they will be golden brown), and place desired toppings (red sauce, <a href=”http://www.ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes/2007/12/06/basic-dairy-free-white-sauce/”>White Sauce</a>, veggies, meat toppings, cheese substitutes) - you’re only limited by your imagination! (If you are going to freeze some, you should freeze the shells before toppings)

Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until bubbly and hot. Slice and eat - yum!