Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Adapted from a recipe in Gluten-free Girl and the Chef.

APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1/2 c. starch* (I used half cornstarch and half potato starch)

1/3 c. rice flour** (I used half brown, half white)

1/2 c. other gluten-free flour(s)*** (I used half soy and half millet)

3/4 tsp. xanthan gum (could probably get away with 1/2 tsp.)

1/4 tsp. guar gum

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

2 tbs. oil

3/4 c. applesauce

3/4 - 1 c. peeled, diced crisp apple

1-2 tbs. water, milk, or extra applesauce (if necessary to moisten batter)

Directions:

1. Mix flours and gums. Sift. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir.

2. Mix wet ingredients in a seperate bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add, mixing until just combined, adding extra moistening ingredients if necessary. Stir in apples.

3. Fill muffin tins about 1/2 full. Cook at 325º for about 30 minutes, or until muffin tops begin to turn golden brown.

* Original recipe calls for tapioca starch.

** Original recipe calls for sweet rice flour.

*** Original recipe calls for half almond flour and half teff flour.

Verdict: I did not like these quite as well as Pamela's, but they were still very good. A different combination of flours would likely yield a different taste. The second time around, I used part flavored applesauce (wild berry flavor), and they were even more tasty!

Gluten-Free Baking from Scratch

To be honest with you, I have used gluten-free mixes in almost every single thing I have baked so far. Yesterday, I made my first true foray into making something completely from scratch (apple cinnamon muffins). To celebrate the occasion, I thought I would share pretty much the extent of my very limited knowledge on baking gluten-free from scratch.

And now I will immediately cop out and quote from Gluten-free Girl and the Chef, which has been my chief source up to this point:

"The main difference between gluten-free baking and the more traditional kind is that you must combine flours to bake gluten-free. [...F]or the most part, you will need at least three flours. One of the three should be a whole-grain, a solid base: sorghum flour, brown rice flour, garfava flour. The next should be a starch, to lighten up the mixture, since gluten-free baked goods tend to be dense: potato starch, tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour), cornstarch, or arrowroot powder. The third flour should have a particular personality you want to add to your baked goods."

So for the sake of my list-making mind, let's review...

Bases: brown rice flour, garfava flour, sorghum flour.

Starches: cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot powder.

Other flours: almond, amaranth, arrowroot, coconut, mesquite, millet, oat (make sure it's gluten-free), quinoa, sorghum, soy, sweet (or glutinous) rice flour, teff, white rice flour.

Just FYI, contrary to the sound of the name, "glutinous" rice flour has nothing to do with gluten, but rather glue, because of its stickiness.

And another note, I'm not sure the particular base flours above are a hard-and-fast rule. The original muffin recipe didn't include any of these.

The following are notes about the particular flours from the book:

"Amaranth flour has a soft texture and slight malt flavor. We like it in cookies and cinnamon rolls.:

"Almond flour adds protein and a bit of fat for flavor."

"Coconut flour adds taste to baked goods, but it sucks up all the moisture around it, so you have to play with the amount of liquids in your treats."

"Millet flour makes a great crumb."

"Quinoa flour is savory and great in quiches."

"Teff flour is the finest-textured flour in the world, so during baking it almost melts, which helps to bind together muffins and quick breads."

These particular authors tend to use a lot of almond and teff flours, which sound great, but they are a fair bit more expensive than other flours, so I haven't tried them yet. (Well, except for the almond flour that I bought about 2 years ago, used a few times in random cooking experiments, and then let the rest go bad. Bummer.)

If you want a gluten-free all-purpose mix, these authors suggest mixing equal parts sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and sweet rice flour. Another favorite of theirs: 40% brown rice flour and sorghum flour, 60% potato starch, tapioca flour, sweet rice flour, and cornstarch.

A couple more important ingredients in gluten-free baking are xanthan gum and guar gum. These are both used as -- what else? -- a gum-like substance in baking, to help bind the flours together and keep your baked goods from falling apart. They are expensive, especially xanthan gum, but fortunately you only need a tiny bit per recipe. I have not personally had experience with trying to bake without them, but I have heard that it will generally end up as a crumby mess.

How much? Some guidelines from About.com:
* Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes.
* Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used.
* Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used.

In most recipes, I have almost always seen both xanthan and guar gum together, with 2-4 times more xanthan gum than guar gum.

Note: Xanthan gum is corn-based, so if you have corn allergies, you may need to avoid it.

Annnnd... that's about all I know. I'll keep you updated on my favorite flours and baking adventures.

Shepherd's Pie

This recipe was handed down from my sisters... I'm not sure where it came from originally. I've altered it just slightly, mainly by using mixed veggies instead of green beans to add a wider variety of flavor. This is definitely a favorite of my husband's and mine. My kids are picky about pretty much everything but hot dogs and ham these days, but even they eat this fairly well. Besides tasting good, I love it because it includes so many veggies that I don't have to prepare any on the side!

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef*

1 med. chopped onion

3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

¼ tsp. pepper

salt to taste (I use about 1 tsp.)

½ tsp. each basil, oregano, and thyme

¼ c. water

mashed potatoes** (using about 5-6 medium potatoes)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In a skillet, cook beef and onion until onion is tender and beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat, drain fat, and place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

3. In a separate pot, cook mixed veggies. Drain and add to beef mixture. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, salt, spices, and water.

4. Drop mashed potatoes in mounds on top. Smooth mounds if desired.

5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for about 30-35 min. or until veggie / meat mixture is hot and bubbly. Optional: if potatoes are not yet turning slightly golden-brown on top, place under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until desired level of browning is achieved.

Alternate cooking instructions: The above is the way I have always made this dish. But I just now noticed that my recipe has different directions... hah! Following these directions, you add everything except the mashed potatoes into the pan where the beef was cooked and bring them to a boil. Then transfer into the casserole dish and continue with step 4. This will decrease baking time to about 20-25 minutes. I will probably try this next time I make it and alter this recipe accordingly if it works better.

* Also works well with turkey. If using turkey, add ½ tsp. sage instead of oregano.

** To make mashed potatoes dairy-free, I normally use rice or almond milk and dairy-free butter spread like Earth Balance or Smart Balance (make sure it says "dairy-free" or "vegan"). Yellow or yukon potatoes work especially well. Make sure you salt the boiling water generously!

Turkey Meatballs

These meatballs are great with spaghetti or by themselves. I often serve them along with lentil soup (recipe to come soon). They also freeze well, so they can serve as a great meal or snack when you need something quick and easy!

TURKEY MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg, beaten

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs. parsley flakes

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. gluten-free bread crumbs or crushed crackers (optional)*

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Shape into balls (about 1 inch each). Broil on high for 9 min.; flip to other side and return to oven for 4 min. OR cook at 350° for about 25 min or until cooked through.

* I often add these for a slightly bready taste and moister texture, but the meatballs work fine without these as well.

Better-Than-Oreo Chocolate Cookies

While experimenting last summer with an ice cream maker that my husband got me for Christmas, I decided to try my hand at making a gluten-free cookies 'n' cream ice cream. (I'm not talented enough to give you a dairy-free ice cream, sorry. I just made it with regular cream and lactose-free milk, since I think lactose is the main problem for most of the family.) I'm pretty sure I actually never got around to making the ice cream. But the chocolate cookies I discovered in the process were almost as good as the cookies 'n' cream would have been.

I adapted this recipe for Homemade Oreo Cookies to make it gluten-free. This recipe gives instructions for adding the cream filling to these cookies, but I found them tasty enough without it. You can check it out if you want to try the filling... I'm not sure if it would work without real butter if you have dairy issues, but they do look pretty good! We like the plain chocolate cookies, which have a nice slightly-chewy texture and freeze well if you want to conserve them for longer. (If you are like me, you'd better put them in the freezer soon or you will eat them all in a flash.)

For those without dairy problems, I'm betting they would be positively delish if you add some vanilla ice cream in place of the cream filling...

BETTER-THAN-OREO CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Ingredients:
1¼ c. Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix*
½ c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
5/8 c. butter or butter substitute (½ c. plus 2 tbs.)
1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first three ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Beat in butter, then egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

3. Place rounded teaspoons of batter and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten dough.

4. Bake for 9 minutes in preheated oven. Set on rack to cool.

* If you use another flour or baking mix, check whether or not it already contains baking soda, baking powder, and / or salt. (Pamela's does.) If not, I'm guessing you will need to add 1 tsp. baking soda, ¼ tsp. baking powder, and ¼ tsp. salt.

Turkey Chili

Adapted from the allrecipes.com recipe here: Terrific Turkey Chili. Along with a few minor changes, I added the beans and corn. It just doesn't seem like chili to me without beans, and the corn adds a nice note of sweetness and crisp texture that is just plain yummy! I've only made this a few times so far, but it is already one of my all-time faves.

TURKEY CHILI

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 batch taco seasoning
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz.) can beef or chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) can salsa
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 (14.5 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, coriander, oregano, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned.

2. Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa and tomatoes, and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water.

3. While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper to the chili, as well as corn and beans. Continue cooking at a very low simmer.

4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, and cook stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the zucchini to the chili, reduce heat, and continue cooking 15 minutes more. Again, adjust the consistency with water as needed.

The author of this recipe suggests adding sour cream, sliced green onions, and cheese to the individual bowls, but because of our diary issues I didn't add any of these. It tastes delicious just as it is. I can't stop eating it! Mmmm...

Taco Seasoning

Copied from allrecipes.com: Taco Seasoning I. Since taco seasoning packets very often contain dairy and/or gluten, I have found this recipe to be a very useful alternative. This recipe makes the equivalent of one packet.

TACO SEASONING

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper*

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

* I reduce the amount of pepper to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp. to make it less spicy for my kids. It's plenty flavorful either way.