How To Go Gluten Free!

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Corn Bread

This time of year my heart and my tastebuds turn to root vegetables.  This recipe for sweet potato corn bread is one of my favorites.  It is quick to prepare and yields delicious results.  I have had this recipe for close to 20 years.  I first came across it when I was looking for dishes to create for an international potluck.  I don’t know what cookbook I got it out of other than it came from Eastern Michigan University’s library. 

I have often considered doing variations by adding nuts or raisins to make it more of a sweet bread but I enjoy the standard results so much I usually just stick to the recipe, with one exception.  I do a combination of medium grind cornmeal and corn flour to make the texture a little less coarse.  You could also go with a fine grind of cornmeal which would likely give you the best texture results.  I do prefer stone ground cornmeal which is usually a little coarser.  Experiment for yourself and see what you like.

Sweet Potato Corn Bread

1 baked sweet potato (I did once use canned sweet potatoes when I was in a hurry and it worked out okay but I prefer the flavor of fresh)

1 stick butter (softened)

4 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar (I use turbinado and add a little molasses)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 small container plain yogurt (or I substitute 1 cup buttermilk which you can make by putting 1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and adding milk of your choice to make it 1 cup; let stand for a few minutes)

2 cups cornmeal (I use about 1/2 medium grind and 1/2 corn flour)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 9 x 9 baking pan.
3. Mash the potato and butter into a pulp with a potato masher or wooden spoon. 
4. Add eggs and beat well. 
5. Add sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix in.
6. Add yogurt or buttermilk and cornmeal.
7. Combine well until batter is smooth.
8. Pour into baking pan.
9. Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes, the corn bread will be golden brown and delicious!

I served this gluten free sweet potato corn bread at the presentation I did at the Holistic Moms Network a couple weeks ago and they enjoyed it.  It is a wonderful change on the holiday table from rolls and something that everyone can enjoy!

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Quinoa Pizza Snack Balls

I must start giving credit where credit is due…this wonderful recipe comes from “The Complete Book of Gluten-Free Cooking” by Jennifer Cinquepalmi.  These pizza snack balls are healthy and tasty.  Plus, the simplicity of being able to freeze them then reheat for an any-time snack or appetizer is great.  They are full of quinoa which is one of the best grains around.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

In the cookbook, Jennifer calls them “Pizza Balls”.  I love making them if I overcooked on quantity of quinoa for dinner. 

2 cups cooked quinoa (you can also use millet which I haven’t tried yet)

1 – 10 oz package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry

8 oz of spaghetti or tomato sauce (I like to serve extra marinara sauce on the side as a dipping sauce)

2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning

1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Variation: add cooked sausage (breakfast, vegetarian, Italian…your choice; I have put in a vegetarian Chorizo that adds an extra zing.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all ingredients thoroughly together.

Make into bite-size balls (I like using a melon baller or one of those mini-ice cream scoops you can use for dropping cookies) and place on a lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake 20-25 minutes (they don’t brown much).

Serve immediately (optional to add marinara sauce on the side for dipping) or allow to cool and store in freezer until ready to use. 

To re-heat use 425 degree oven until heated through (I usually do it directly from frozen, in the cookbook she recommends doing it from thawed).

As a variation I once served the quinoa pizza snack balls with gluten-free pasta as my “vegetarian meatballs”.  They did tend to fall apart but were a tasty addition.  Enjoy this wonderfully healthy and tasty treat you can feel good about.

Gluten Free Bagels

Have you tried store-bought gluten-free bagels?  Hard, un-tasty, and unappealing are just a few adjectives that come to mind.  In my pre-gluten-free days I never did much baking of bread and rolls so I don’t venture as quickly into that area.  Well I am here to tell you that there ARE gluten-free bagels that you can make at home that aren’t difficult and they are quite yummy!

This recipe comes from the October/November 2009 volume of “Living Without” a magazine for people with food sensitivities, especially gluten, dairy, and eggs.  My wonderful sister, Elaine, gave me a subscription for Christmas this past year and every recipe I have tried from the magazine has turned out well and this one was no exception.

Make sure you have a substantial mixer to use that is designed to create bread and you will also want parchment paper (you can find this in higher-end grocery stores or specialty baking stores).

The gluten-free multi-grain flour blend (makes 9 cups) contains:

• 1 and 1/4 cups garfava flour (I think this is a blend of garbanzo and fava bean flours)
• 1 and 3/4 cups superfine brown rice flour (can use food processor on regular brown rice flour if you can’t find superfine)
• 2 cups potato starch (or arrowroot flour or chestnut flour)
• 2 cups cornstarch or potato starch
• 1 cup tapioca starch/flour
• 1 cup sorghum flour or armaranth flour

Blend ingredients together and store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge until used.

“Best Bagels” by Rebecca Reilly (Living Without, Oct/Nov ‘09)

• 3 cups gluten-free multi grain flour blend (recipe given above)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons flax meal
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer
• 1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
• 1 Tablespoon yeast
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 and 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• brown rice flour for rolling bagels
• cornmeal for dusting pan
• optional toppings of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc
• optional egg white for brushing on the bagels before placing toppings on them

1. Line baking pan/cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.
2. Line second baking pan/cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with (extra) brown rice flour.
3. Whisk together (in mixing bowl) multi-grain flour blend, salt, flax meal, egg replacer, xanthan gum, and yeast.
4. Using a separate bowl, whisk together honey, oil, cider vinegar, and 1 and 1/4 cups warm water.
5. Using the paddle attachment of the mixer, slowly incorporate the liquid mixture into dry ingredients.  Add more warm water, if necessary to create a smooth consistency.  Mixture should be quite thick.
6. Beat on medium-high speed for three (3) minutes.
7. Shape the bagels by using a large spoon to scoop out the batter and place on cookie sheet lined with rice flour.  Lightly roll dough in the flour to coat it and then shape into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and then create a hole in the center (using your index finger) that will be large enough that the hole won’t close up while raising.  (Smaller than my thumb, about the size of my middle finger.)
8. Repeat shaping (step 7) until all dough has been used.
9. Place each bagel on the baking pan sprinkled with cornmeal.
10. Lightly cover bagels with an oiled piece of plactic wrap and place pan in a warm place for bagels to rise (about 20-30 minutes).
11. Bring a skillet (I’m not sure why she says skillet, it must be that this is supposed to be a more shallow pan of water) of water to boil.  Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the water (the sugar helps to create a shiny crust).
12. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
13. Drop a few bagels into the boiling water.  Simmer for 30 seconds, turn over and cook for another 30 seconds.
14. Using a slotted spoon, remove bagels, drain away excess water, and put bagels back on the same baking pan.
15. Optional: brush them with a wash of 1 egg white and 2 Tablespoons cold water beaten together then sprinkle with your choice of toppings (examples: poppy, sesame or caraway seeds, toasted onion, raw garlic bits, salt, etc).
16. Once all bagels have been boiled, bake them for 25 minutes in preheated oven then cool on a rack.

The recipe makes eight (8) bagels with nutritional content of (not counting toppings): 262 calories, 5 gr total fat (0 saturated, cholesterol or trans fats), 303 mg sodium, 51 g carbohydrate, 2 gr fiber, 4 gr protein. 

I wasn’t sure how to find a warm place for the bagels to raise and my mom suggested a pan of hot water in the oven on the bottom shelf with the tray of bagels on the top shelf.  That worked out very well.

I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of the recipe and the tasty results.  Plan a few hours to make them but remember you will have 20 – 30 minutes of rising time and another 25 minutes of baking time.  Enjoy the results (and they do freeze well too).

Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake

You can still enjoy delicious pineapple upside down cake that is gluten free!

I am thrilled to be able to share a tasty pineapple upside down cake with you today!  I last attempted a pineapple upside down cake a couple years ago and the results were so disappointing I haven’t had the heart to try again…until yesterday!  Rather than use a special recipe from a gluten-free cookbook (which is what I did the first time), I found a vanilla cake recipe that looked promising and combined that with my “old faithful” Betty Crocker red cover cookbook recipe. 

The vanilla cake recipe comes from the magazine “Living Without” April/May 2009 edition on page 29.  It makes about twice as much cake as you need for a 9 x 13 pineapple upside down cake.  So I suggest either halving the recipe, make TWO pineapple upside down cakes (they freeze well) or do one pineapple upside down cake and turn the rest of the batter into cupcakes or a plain cake (very nice for strawberry shortcake).

Put four eggs in a bowl of warm to hot water to bring to room temperature and soften the butter.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  While heating, put 9 x 13 cake pan in oven with 2/3 stick of butter.  In the meanwhile, drain two cans of pineapple and, optional, open maraschino cherries.  When butter has melted, remove pan from oven, sprinkle with one cup of packed brown sugar, and place pineapple rings across bottom of the pan.  Place 1/2 maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring, if desired.  Chopped nuts may also be added if desired.

Cream together:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter or non-dairy alternative
• 2 cups granulated sugar (I used the more coarse turbinado sugar)
• Then add (one at a time) 4 eggs (at room temperature)
• And add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a separate bowl combine or sift together (I did not sift as suggested but if you are extra-particular, go ahead and sift):

• 3 and 1/2 cups flour blend (1/2 rice flour, 1/4 tapioca starch/flour, and 1/4 cornstarch or potato starch)
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat 1 and 1/2 cups milk (type of your choice) to hot, not boiling.

Add 1/2 dry mixture to the creamed mixture and combine well. 

Add 1/2 hot milk into batter and mix.

Add remaining dry mixture and hot milk and beat until smooth.

Pour about half the batter over the prepared pan with the pineapple rings and bake in the oven until knife come out clean (30-45 minutes).  Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes then turn upside down on a cookie sheet or other large tray.  Serve plain or with whipped cream.  Delicious!

Use other batter as you had planned to and enjoy your results!

This gluten free pineapple upside down cake freezes well.  I like to prepare it into individually wrapped servings and place those servings in a freezer bag to stay fresh longer.

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