3 Perfect Pie Crusts

Posted on | May 25, 2009 | 1 Comment

If you don’t need to make the full 6 pie crust recipe, this version makes a top crust, bottom crust, and a spare crust to freeze for later.

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, could be egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, vegetarian, and potentially vegan recipe.

Ingredients

1/4 cup shortening (I use Spectrum)
1 cup margarine, or two sticks (I use Fleishmann’s unsalted, but you could also use an additional 1 cup shortening)
3 cups gf flour mix – 2 cups flour, 1 cup starch
1 TBS xanthan gum (if not GF, just use 3 cups flour and omit this)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (optional, omit if corn-free)
1 TBS sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg white (or egg replacer of your choice)
1 TBS cider vinegar
ice cold water

Method

Combine flours, xanthan gum, baking powder (if using), sugar, & salt in a large bowl. Add shortening & margarine and cut in using a pastry blender or 2 knives until it begins to resemble coarse meal.

In a measuring cup with a spout, beat the egg, vinegar, and enough water to equal 1/2 cup. Gradually add the liquid to the flour, tossing with a fork, until the pastry gathers into a mass.

If the dough needs more water, add 1/4 cup iced water at a time, until sticks together.

Divide the pastry into 3 portions and form each into a patty-like disk. Each patty makes 1 crust. Put each in a small ziploc and freeze, or, if you are using now, chill for at least an hour. If you freeze, the dough must be completely thawed before rolling.

For easier handling, roll out between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top piece of plastic wrap, position dough in greased pie pan, then remove bottom piece of plastic wrap.

This makes 3 single pie crusts, perfect for making a double-crusted pie and setting one crust aside in the freezer for a rainy pie day.

Category: baked goods, cornerstones of cooking, desserts, vegan/vegetarian

Creamy Rice Pudding, hold the cream

Posted on | May 17, 2009 | 1 Comment

I love rice pudding, it is so incredibly soothing and delicious. It’s also very creamy, and it took me some time to get a rice pudding recipe that I thought was creamy enough without using dairy. This is the recipe I’ve been making for a while, and it’s one that my oldest daughter, Mackenzie, will sometimes make on her own.

I’m not a fan of raisins, but some dried cranberries can be a nice addition at times. Sometimes when I use coconut milk I’ll add some flaked coconut, too. There are plenty of variations possible, depending on your mood – my middle daughter puts chocolate syrup on top when she eats 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, corn free, top 8 allergen free, and vegan/vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice (brown or white)
1 plain quart milk substitute, (2 cans of coconut milk is our favorite, but 1 quart of soy, hemp, rice, almond, etc milk works well too)
1 pinch kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup white or brown sugar
optional add-in ideas: 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, other dried fruit, chocolate chips, slivered almonds, pecan pieces, flaked coconut, or 1 tsp cinnamon

Method
In a medium pot, combine salt, rice, and milk substitute. Stir well, and bring to a boil on high heat.

Stir well once it is boiling, bring heat down to low, then cover and set the timer for the cooking time recommended on the rice packaging.

Don’t leave the rice to simmer unattended! When using a milk substitute rather than water, the rice tends to clump, so stir it about every 5 minutes while it cooks.

When the timer goes off, test the rice for done-ness. You may need to cook it for 5-10 more minutes than usual.

When the rice has finished cooking, take it off the heat, and add the vanilla and sugar. Use a silicone spoonula or something similar to gently but completely combine. Once the sugar and vanilla is assimilated, stir in any desired optional add-ins.

Cover again, and let the flavors meld and the rice pudding cool for about 15 minutes, then spoon into a ramekin and eat warm. Yum! What a delicious, creamy, and soothing comfort food! This is also great for kids with a “crummy tummy”, or any day when you want food that feels like a warm hug. Refrigerate any leftovers, then warm individual servings in the microwave or on the stovetop. Serve as is, or with a bit of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, or with a bit of any of the suggested add-ins.

Category: desserts, etcetera

Adapting your menu for allergies

Posted on | May 12, 2009 | 2 Comments

(This is a portion of a longer blog post at our “A Gaggle of Girls”, blog)

Happy Celiac Disease Awareness Month!
Happy Food Allergy Awareness Week!

If you are living with food allergies, Celiac disease, food intolerances, or any other dietary restrictions, you are already used to adapting your menu. But what happens when one person wants to be a vegetarian? or you move into a home where people eat dairy? or your children have opposing allergies? or you have one kid who loves peppers and another who hates them? You learn how to adapt your menus so you can make (almost) everyone happy with one meal.

For Mother’s Day, I made a double batch of quiches, and made them in individual sizes so each person could have the ingredients she wanted. This meant that those who like soy “cheese” could have some, and those who like bacon can enjoy without upsetting the new vegetarian. Individual pizzas, quiches, mexican pizzas (tortilla, refried beans, ground meat, salsa, soy or dairy cheese), and tacos are some incredibly easy ways of letting each child eat the ingredients she loves.

One of my favorite adaptation methods is “on the side”. I loved When Harry Met Sally, and I’m afraid I may sound like Sally when I’m in a restaurant! However, at home I have embraced that concept with my daughters. We make salads with dressing on the side, of course, but also make Pad Thai with the shrimp, limes, and peanuts on the side, a risotto with meat and/or cheese on the side, a vegetable curry with meat and some veggies on the side, or make a meal of pasta or polenta with marinara or White Sauce and sausages or meatballs on the side.

When you start to think about meals in a new way, a way where everyone can enjoy a similar meal, you can find new ways to deconstruct dinner. A buffet of choices for pizzas or ice cream sundaes becomes more fun, not just a way to accommodate food allergies and pickiness! Shifting your perspective to fun rather than a chore can help you enjoy your meals, too – not just feel like you need to get through them somehow.

Category: etcetera, menu ideas

Pennsylvania Dutch Cabbage & Chicken

Posted on | May 10, 2009 | 3 Comments

This recipe is inspired by a Pennsylvania Dutch mystery by Tamar Myers I read a while ago, and have since returned to the library. It’s further inspired by several recipes I found online that weren’t quite what I remembered. It’s slightly sweet and slightly tangy, and using red/purple cabbage makes it look beautiful. Yummm…

You can easily make this without the chicken, and have a lovely cabbage & apple side dish or for vegans and vegetarians.

Ingredients:

2 TBS cooking oil
1 medium onion, minced
about 1 1/3 lb boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded or sliced very finely
1 medium apple, sliced but not peeled
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS flour or starch (arrowroot or corn works well)
1 tsp lemon juice plus milk substitute to make 1 cup (I like coconut milk best for this, as it’s thick and creamy – and it doesn’t taste like coconut in savory dishes)
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
a couple grinds black pepper

Method:

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and sauté until they start to soften.

Add chicken to the pan, and stir. Continue to sauté until the chicken browns on all sides.

Stir the apple and cabbage into skillet, and sauté for a couple minutes, until the cabbage starts to soften.

Pour in the soured milk and vinegar, then mix in the brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Once that is well combined, sprinkle in the flour/starch, stirring until well combined.

Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with some kind of starch – we like quinoa. This has a great mix of sour & sweet and different textures, yum!

Category: casseroles, faux fast food, vegan/vegetarian, veggies

Bacon Quiche Pie

Posted on | May 2, 2009 | 6 Comments

My mother started making this “impossible pie quiche” for my grandmother, and then we’ve been able to alter it to make it gluten-free and dairy-free. This tastes like quiche to me, but without needing to make a crust, and the biscuit ingredients help it stay flavorful without needing cheese. There’s no real way to make it egg-free, though, so sorry to the egg-sensitive folks!

Ingredients:

2 cups plain milk substitute (plain soy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk, etc)
1 cup gluten-free biscuit mix, or:
- 1 cup all purpose gf flour mix (or 2/3 cup rice or sorghum flour & 1/3 cup tapioca or corn starch)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp canola oil
4 eggs
2 pinches kosher salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
16 slices cooked bacon (we prefer turkey bacon)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400º

Oil a 10-inch or deep 9-inch quiche pan.

In a large bowl, mix ingredients other than bacon until smooth. Sprinkle in bacon, and combine, and pour into the quiche pan.

Bake 25-35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

Filling Variations:

Between 1/2 and 1 cup chopped cooked meat: ham, chicken, sausage, ground meat, crab meat, etc.
About 1 cup chopped lightly cooked, thawed frozen, or raw vegetables: asparagus, baby spinach, bell peppers, broccoli, artichoke hearts, etc
Sautéed onion and garlic

Cooking Variation:
Make individual quiches to handle different tastebuds! Oil a muffin tin and/or mini-loaf pans, and divide the batter evenly between them. Add a handful of desired fillings to each, and bake for 20-30 minutes. (In the picture at right, I made 50% more than this recipe, so 6 eggs, 1 1/2 cups baking mix, etc. Doubling would also work wonderfully for making individual quiches)

Category: casseroles, entrees, faux fast food

Perfect Mango Poundcake

Posted on | April 18, 2009 | 3 Comments

Originally inspired by a mango-passionfruit pound cake, this Mango Poundcake is divine. It is amazingly delicious and moist, and has just the right level of sweetness. By adding more mango puree, the mango flavor really permeates the cake, adding another level of deliciousness.

The only complaint we have heard is that it is a smidge high in calories, so you may want to cut and eat small slices, put a few slices in the freezer for later, and give a couple pieces away to your friends!

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, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, and vegetarian recipe.
Additional allergy notes: the cake could easily be made corn-free, but the icing would require finding corn-free powdered sugar; I am working on a mango bar recipe which would be egg-free, as recipes with 3 or more eggs don’t work well egg-free.

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, softened
1 TBS lemon juice & 1 Cup coconut milk
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups gluten-free flour (sorghum, millet, or rice work well)
1 cup starch (tapioca, arrowroot, potato, or corn); (or use 3 cups premixed gluten-free flour)
1 TBS xanthan gum or guar gum (if not gluten-free, replace the flour, starch, and xanthan gum with 3 cups all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mango puree (if you have frozen mango chunks, thaw them and then blender-ize them into a pulp)

For the Syrup:

1/2 cup orange mango juice
1 cup sugar

For the Glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup orange mango juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-cup bundt pan, preferably a silicone bundt pan. If not using silicone, be careful to grease the pan well and dust it with flour.

Cream the butter in a stand mixer, and then add the soured coconut milk. Gradually add the sugar and beat well (about 3 minutes).

Mix in the eggs, 1 by 1. Continue to mix until they are well-combined.

Whisk flour, starch, salt, and xanthan gum/guar gum. Slowly add the flour into the batter, alternate adding flour with adding the mango purée.

Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes. Check after 50 minutes, the cake should feel springy when you touch it, and a tooth pick inserted into the middle should come out with only a few crumbs of batter. Put the cake back in the oven if necessary and check again in 10 minutes.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Wait for the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Syrup
While the cake is cooling, make the syrup. Mix orange-mango juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat.

Poke holes in the bottom of the cake with a wooden skewer, while it’s still in the pan. Brush half of the syrup onto the bottom of cake with a pastry brush and let it soak in.

After the cake has completely cooled, flip it out of the pan onto a serving plate. Use a skewer to poke more holes in the top of the cake, and then brush the rest of the syrup onto the top and sides.

Icing:
Whisk or sift the confectioners sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the orange-mango juice. Drizzle the icing/glaze over the top and sides of the cake.

Store cake well wrapped, or in an airtight container. Cake can be kept at room temperature, but will stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.

Category: baked goods, desserts

Confetti, Chicken, and Artichoke faux-risotto

Posted on | April 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

I’ve been missing the creamy taste of Risotto, but haven’t had any arborio rice, nor the desire to stand over a stove stirring for an hour. I’ve added coconut milk to give the dish the creaminess you would usually get from the arborio rice. (Remember that coconut milk doesn’t give a coconut flavor if the dish has salt and is savory – sugar enhances the coconut flavor)

I’ve taken my Chicken and Asparagus Faux-Risotto recipe, and tweaked a few things to create this pretty and yummy dish. The artichoke hearts are a wonderful surprise to the diner, who had focused on the “confetti” of spinach and bell pepper. This is delicious, and I highly recommend trying it and experimenting yourself with different vegetables, and finding flavors that you and your family love.

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, and top 8 allergen free recipe. This is also a faux-fast-food recipe that can be cooked in under 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp basil
1 shake cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
2 pinches kosher salt
1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cup basmati or Jasmine rice
10 oz frozen or canned artichoke hearts, in quarters
1 cup fresh or frozen bell pepper strips. (it looks prettiest with multicolored strips)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 14oz can coconut milk (light or not light)
1 1/4 cup water

Method:
Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and spices, and sauté until they begin to get tender.

Chop the chicken into 1/2″ cubes, then add to the onion/garlic mixture. Cook the chicken over medium heat until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare vegetables – slice artichoke hearts into quarters and slice bell peppers.

Add rice, coconut milk, water, and vegetables.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let cook for about 20 minutes, following the guidelines on your rice package.

Serve to great applause. An easy and delicious meal that mixes great flavor with fast cooking, plus it’s all in one pot!

Category: casseroles, entrees, faux fast food

Sausage, Beans, and Potatoes

Posted on | April 11, 2009 | 3 Comments

My oldest daughter, Mackenzie (almost 11), created this meal one evening when she heard what I was planning to make for dinner and decided she’d rather have something else. It’s yummy, easy, and even nutritious. The only negative is that if you don’t rinse the black beans really well, the entire meal turns a dingy charcoal color. It still tastes great, just doesn’t look good.

This meal is now in steady rotation, with a few variations, and it’s one that Mackenzie can make almost all on her own, which is fabulous! We’re big believers in kids being active participants in cooking, and in fact this is the third recipe by one of my kids to be published in this recipe blog – you can also check out Mackenzie’s Italian Soup and the Fluffernutter cookies by Isabel (now almost 9).

Ingredients:

1 lb sausage (sweet Italian or a mix of sweet Italian and Linguiça)
4-5 medium potatoes (russet and yukon gold have both worked well)
1 14 oz can black beans
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp Tony Chacheres Cajun seasoning
1 tsp parsley
1/2 lb green beans (When we’re feeling lazy we get 1 bag of green beans that are prewashed with the ends already snapped off)

Method:
Snap ends off the green beans if you didn’t buy the shortcut green beans. Dice the onion, mince or press the garlic, and slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds. Pour black beans into a colander and rinse very well.

Stab the potatoes a few times with a fork, and then microwave for 5 minutes. Check to see if the potatoes feel right (a bit tender to the touch), if not, microwave for a few more minutes.

Add olive oil to a large skillet, and bring to medium heat. Add garlic, onion, seasoning, and sausage and stir until the sausage is cooked.

Add black beans, potatoes, and green beans. Combine the ingredients together well, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring a couple times.

Serve, and enjoy! or, as Mackenzie says, “Dig in!”

Variation:
If you want your green beans more crunchy than they get from being steamed in this dish, use the roasted vegetable technique, and serve the green beans on the side.

Category: Under $10, entrees, faux fast food

Quick and Tasty Tea Treat

Posted on | April 3, 2009 | 6 Comments

I was recently at Starbucks, and when you don’t drink coffee or caffeinated tea, AND can’t have milk, there’s not a lot of choices. I was in the mood for something warm, though, and managed to spot the “Vanilla Rooibos Latte”. Since Starbucks has soymilk, I had it made that way. Yum! Sweet and creamy, but with no caffeine to make you jittery in the afternoon!

My 3 daughters had a little sip of the little I had leftover, and loved it. Thankfully I had some Adagio rooibos vanilla in the tea cupboard at home! I brewed a pot of the rooibos vanilla, using the awesome ingenuiTEA teapot I received from the lovely Nanny Ogg, then warmed up some vanilla soy milk, and combined. Big smiles on my girls’ faces, and for a fraction of the cost of the one I bought! Additionally, making it at home means that you are not limited to soy or cow milk, as you are when out. We’ve had this several times now, and I just restocked our tea supply to make sure we’ll have plenty.

Vanilla Rooibos Soy Latte Ingredients
(but it could be a vanilla rooibos hemp latte, almond latte, or rice latte..)

Ingredients

1 pot vanilla rooibos “tea”, I like Adagio rooibos vanilla.
1/3 cup vanilla flavored milk substitute (soy, rice, almond, hemp, etc)

Method

Brew one pot of the vanilla rooibos tea (it’s not real tea, it’s a reddish needle-like leaf of a plant found in South Africa)

Warm the milk substitute in a pot or microwave.

Combine the tea and the milk substitute in a mug, with a bit more tea than milk substitute. Enjoy!

(If you’d like to try the Adagio rooibos vanilla, or another flavor, leave a comment with your email address, and I can send you a $5 gift certificate)

Category: Under $10, etcetera, faux fast food, vegan/vegetarian

A GFCF Chocolate Pizza!

Posted on | April 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

I’ve wanted to make one of these recipes for ages, and I finally decided to try it. This was a huge, huge hit! It is basically a sugar-cookie-type crust, with various chocolate toppings. You could make it with jam and fruit on top, but we were in a chocolate mood!

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) dairy-free margarine or Spectrum shortening, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar (if you can find corn-free powdered sugar, this recipe could be made with no corn)
1 cup rice flour
For the Sauce:
1 batch chocolate pudding, made using the pie filling variation.
For the Toppings:
allergy-safe chocolate chips (Enjoy Life chocolate chips are one choice)
allergy-safe chocolate non-pariels
extra confectioner’s sugar as “cheese”
other allergy-safe chocolates as desired (Choclate Emporium has many great gluten-free and dairy-free chocolates!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a pizza pan or cookie sheet with a Silpat Baking Mat, Reynolds non-stick foil, or other nonstick choice.

Mix together the margarine/shortening, powdered sugar, and rice flour. Continue mixing until it is well combined. The mixture will be crumbly, but will hold together when patted together.

Press into a pan, ideally into a circular shape on a pizza pan, but you can also make a circular shape on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

When the “crust” is cool, spread on pudding, then add your choice of toppings.

Cut with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

Category: baked goods, desserts, vegan/vegetarian

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Welcome to Rachel's Recipe Box: The Gluten Free Family!
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Rachel’s Recipe Box

The Gluten-Free Family

3 Perfect Pie Crusts

Creamy Rice Pudding, hold the cream

Adapting your menu for allergies

Pennsylvania Dutch Cabbage & Chicken

Bacon Quiche Pie

Perfect Mango Poundcake

Confetti, Chicken, and Artichoke faux-risotto

Sausage, Beans, and Potatoes

Quick and Tasty Tea Treat

A GFCF Chocolate Pizza!

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