Chocolate Chip Cookies GF

These are the family/crowd pleaser you were looking for!

And yes, they are gluten-free!

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dairy-free margarine*
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
About 1 bag multicolor chocolate chips, you can use less (if you want to eat them while making the cookies!)
1 3/4 cups sweet white rice flour (we used Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup + 1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking soda


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
Combine your sugars, butter, margarine, salt, and vanilla. Beat well.
Next add your eggs and again, beat well.  
Add the chips, reserving about 1/4 cup to stud the tops of the cookies before you bake them (this makes for very pretty, "professional" cookies!)
In a separate bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
Add your dry ingredients in two parts to the creamed, wet mixture. 
Blend just until everything is incorporated, but don't beat it!
Drop by spoon full on an *ungreased baking sheet (I like to use an air bake pan, but use your favorite.)
Bake for approximately 9-10 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack and eat before your family finds them!

Enjoy!                                 

*I have also made these cookies with only butter, omitting the margarine.  When I've made them all butter I actually found they work best if you lightly grease the pans before baking. 

Peanut Butter Cookies GF

 

These are awesome gluten-free, flourless cookies!

There are so many ways you can jazz up this basic recipe

the possibilities are infinite.

We have given you our *chocolate peanut butter variation,

but the sky is really the limit!

Try substituting hazelnut spread for the peanut butter!

Or even SunButter for anyone who has a nut allergy.

Mix up a batch and have fun!

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Optional, add ¼ cup chocolate chips  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all your ingredients in a bowl, mix well with a spatula or heavy duty spoon.  

Drop tablespoon portions on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  The wax paper will make it easier to remove the cookies.    

Bake for approximately 14 minutes or until firm to the touch.  Keep in mind they will continue to firm up on the pan after they are removed from the oven, so don’t over bake.  You want them nice and moist so they melt in your mouth!

These cookies are best served with your favorite milk and a good book.  Their flavor is greatly enhanced if you’ve had a really stressful day!

*Chocolate variation (my favorite!)
Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and an additional egg, if you're using small eggs.

Gluten-Free Lent!

In observance of Lent we have given up gluten.  

That means 40 days (and nights mind you) without that glorious, magical, substance

that seems to be in nearly everything! 

But our loss will be your gain! 

We’ve played around with chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, trail mixes, and lots of main dish ideas that will even please the wheat eaters in your family.  

Look for our new gluten-free recipes, coming soon!

Going Gluten-free

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, spelt, oats, rye, and other grains.

It's this protein that makes baked goods rise and adds lightness to their texture.

However, many people have gluten sensitivities which range from mild intolerances to severe allergies.

Often, when a person has a gluten intolerance, other food intolerances may be present.  For this reason, all of our gluten-free recipes are also converted to dairy-free.  (Dairy products, such as milk and butter, may be substituted for dairy-free in all of our recipes.)

Typically at home, because of my own gluten and dairy intolerances, I cook this way for myself.  It makes it that much easier to have the recipe already adapted to my needs.

Also, it's a good idea when cooking for someone with a food restriction, to find out ahead of time exactly what they can and can't eat.  Then double check your recipe's ingredient list for any culprit foods.

You'll want to avoid cross- contamination of foods.  It sounds simple, but always wash hands thoroughly between handling potentially allergenic foods and the "allergy dish"  you are preparing.  Even touching the fridge handle after handling nuts or cheese can leave a trail of "toxins" for a person with severe allergies to such foods.

Remember, you can't make pie crust with wheat flour and then use the same rolling pin for gluten-free pie crust. Make sure cooking implements such as food processor blades and vegetable graters are cleaned thoroughly between use, so as not to get cheese from your pizza into your dairy-free carrot cake.  After a while this becomes second nature.

We hope you have fun with our gluten-free dishes! They are all marked with the "GF" code, or just labeled "Gluten-Free." 

-JBW

Gluten-Free Websites

Here are links to some of our favorite gluten-free products and information

websites!

Products

Cherrybrook Kitchen

www.cherrybrookkitchen.com

Enjoy Life Foods

www.enjoylifefoods.com

1 2 3 Gluten Free

www.123glutenfree.com

Glutino Food Group 

www.glutino.com

Gluuteny, Wheat-Free and Dairy-Free Goodies

www.gluuteny.com

Pamela's Products

www.pamelasproducts.com

Information

Cecelia's Marketplace
Making Gluten-Free Living Easy!
www.CeceliasMarketplace.com

Celiac.com

www.celiac.com

GFCFDIET

www.gfcfdiet.com

Gluten Free Passport

www.glutenfreepassport.com

Triumph Dining

www.triumphdining.com

Pie Crust Gluten-Free

For one 9-inch double crust pie

Ingredients

1 Cup White rice flour

½ Cup Tapioca flour

½ Cup Arrowroot powder

2 Tbls. natural cane sugar

2 ½ tsps. xanthan gum

¼ tsp. sea salt

12 Tbls. DF margarine (OR 1 ½ sticks cold butter may be used if dairy isn't a problem)

Approximately 2 Tbls. ice water

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine first 6 ingredients.  With a fork or pastry blender, cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly.

2. Add water a little at a time.  You may need more or less water, but you don't want the dough to be too wet.

3. Roll dough into a ball in plastic wrap.  Chill in refrigerator for about thirty minutes to an hour.  To speed up process, chill in freezer for no longer than 15 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan

The trick to making eggplant taste great is to peel it, because the skin is often bitter.

It's also good to soak it in salt water to keep it from oxidizing. Just a few minutes will do the trick!
You can assemble this dish a day ahead and refrigerate until you're ready to bake.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
Tomato sauce, 26 oz
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese*
1 egg
1 Cup or more unseasoned bread crumbs (If you're Gluten- Free, make bread crumbs using your favorite GF bread.  White or brown rice flours also work well for coating.)
Several Tbls. olive oil

1. Peel the eggplant all around and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
2. Place in a bowl, cover with water and sprinkle about 1 tsp. salt all over. Let it sit in the water until ready to use.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, also heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
4. Dry the eggplant pieces in a paper towel, then dip in egg and coat with bread crumbs.
5. Brown eggplant on both sides.
6. Coat the bottom of a high sided baking dish with sauce.
7. Place the eggplant in a single layer over the sauce, place a slice of cheese on each eggplant, top each with a fresh basil leaf.
8. Continue layering, sauce, eggplant, cheese, basil.
9. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve over your favorite pasta with fresh crusty bread and grated parmesan on top!  (If Gluten-Free, serve with rice or quinoa pasta and your favorite GF bread!)

Serves 4

* If you are dairy-free, the cheese can be left out without changing the flavor very much.

Cornmeal Blueberry pancakes

These hearty pancakes are delicious straight from the pan and topped with pure maple syrup or agave nectar!

 

You'll need:

 

2 eggs, beaten

1 Cup organic cornmeal

3 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

2 ¼ tsp. xanthan gum

2 Tbls. agave nectar or natural cane sugar

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 Cup GF rice milk (OR milk of your choice)

 

1-1 ½ Cups fresh, rinsed blueberries (If using frozen, be sure to thaw and drain first)

 

Whisk together first 8 ingredients, just until lumps are gone. Stir in blueberries. Pour about ½ Cup batter into center of preheated pan (I heat my pan several notches below medium heat). Flip after about 45 seconds. In order to avoid over browning, flip pancake every 45-60 seconds until done. (Approximately 4 minutes total cooking time.)

 

Enjoy!

 

These pancakes are just as good without the blueberries!