Okay, after the success of my last batch of sugar cookies, I thought I might try my hand at my own flour blend, at least one for my cookies. So here it is:
All purpose flour blend
3 cups sweet rice flour
3 cups brown rice flour or gluten free oat flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tablespoons xanthan gum
Whisk together in a large bowl and store in an airtight container. Use in place of all purpose flour in cookie recipes.
UPDATE 1/8/11: I really love the blend of the sweet rice with the oat, but if you don't like it or don't have these flours on hand, you can sub and experiment. The important part is keeping these ratios. So you could use all brown rice in place of the sweet rice and oat, or use a 50:50 mix of sorghum and millet, or a white rice/brown rice mix, etc. As long as you keep the flour/starch/xanthan gum ratios the same, the possibilities are endless. :)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Christmas Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Frosting
Okay, once again I'm here needing to convert one of my recipes to be soy-free. I made my sugar cookies right before I took my little one off of soy, and this recipe is definitely not soy-free! So, I made a soy-free version today, and I also experimented a bit with the flours, and I like this version a lot more. We topped it with our usual frosting, but added peppermint extract to it, to make it more like Christmas. :)
Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Frosting
1 cup palm oil shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sweet rice flour (if you don't have sweet rice or oat flour, just sub brown rice flour)
1 cup gf oat flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup So Delicious Plain Coconut Yogurt (you could also try applesauce instead, but the yogurt was sooo good!)
Directions
1/2 C Palm Oil Shortening or Soy-free margarine
1/4 C rice milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 16 oz package powdered sugar
food coloring
Directions
1. Combine shortening and extracts in bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add milk and powdered sugar. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Note: if you want a chocolate peppermint frosting add about 1/4 C cocoa and a tiny bit more milk to the mixture above.
Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies
Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Frosting
1 cup palm oil shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sweet rice flour (if you don't have sweet rice or oat flour, just sub brown rice flour)
1 cup gf oat flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup So Delicious Plain Coconut Yogurt (you could also try applesauce instead, but the yogurt was sooo good!)
Directions
- Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
- Mix together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture with yogurt; mix until smooth. Cover bowl and chill bowl at least 1 hour.
- On rice floured surface, roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes.
- Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake.
- Remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Frost with peppermint frosting; color frosting if desired.
1/2 C Palm Oil Shortening or Soy-free margarine
1/4 C rice milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 16 oz package powdered sugar
food coloring
Directions
1. Combine shortening and extracts in bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add milk and powdered sugar. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Note: if you want a chocolate peppermint frosting add about 1/4 C cocoa and a tiny bit more milk to the mixture above.
Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Dairy-free Fudge
I saw this post for 5-minute dairy-free fudge and had to give it a try. Honestly, you would never know that it was dairy-free...it was amazing. :) Below is the recipe with my adaptations based on what I had in the house. Make sure to check out the link, because she has different variations of it, as well. Enjoy!
5-minute Fudge
1 Cup Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
3-1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
2 Tablespoons Soy-Free Margarine
1/2 Cup Dairy-Free Milk (I used the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk)
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and cocoa. Separately, place the margarine and coconut milk in a small saucepan, and stir together over medium heat. Cook the mixture until the margarine has melted, and bubbles just begin to break at the surface. Remove it from the stove, and immediately pour over the chocolate mixture. Let everything sit for a couple of minutes, and then stir vigorously to melt the chocolate and incorporate the dry ingredients. Continue stirring until a completely smooth mixture forms. Mix in the vanilla, and quickly pour everything into your prepared pan. Smooth out the top. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
Makes 32 Small Squares
5-minute Peppermint Fudge
Same ingredients as above, plus 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and crushed up candy canes, however many looks good to you.
When you add the vanilla to the fudge, add in the extract and 2/3 of the crushed up candy canes. After smoothing into the greased pan top with remaining candy canes.
This post is featured on Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
5-minute Fudge
1 Cup Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
3-1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
2 Tablespoons Soy-Free Margarine
1/2 Cup Dairy-Free Milk (I used the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk)
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and cocoa. Separately, place the margarine and coconut milk in a small saucepan, and stir together over medium heat. Cook the mixture until the margarine has melted, and bubbles just begin to break at the surface. Remove it from the stove, and immediately pour over the chocolate mixture. Let everything sit for a couple of minutes, and then stir vigorously to melt the chocolate and incorporate the dry ingredients. Continue stirring until a completely smooth mixture forms. Mix in the vanilla, and quickly pour everything into your prepared pan. Smooth out the top. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
Makes 32 Small Squares
5-minute Peppermint Fudge
Same ingredients as above, plus 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and crushed up candy canes, however many looks good to you.
When you add the vanilla to the fudge, add in the extract and 2/3 of the crushed up candy canes. After smoothing into the greased pan top with remaining candy canes.
This post is featured on Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Cheese Stuffed Focaccia Bread
Okay, for those of you that live by me, you know what I'm talking about if I mention Firehouse Pizzeria's focaccia bread. For those of you that don't live around here, this pizzeria makes this scrumptious focaccia that is sliced in half and stuffed with cheese, then cut lengthwise into 'breadsticks'...I miss those. So, I thought I'd make my own version.
Cheese Stuffed Focaccia Bread
Enough pizza dough to make 2 X 8" pizza crusts (I use Silvana Nardone's from her book, Cooking for Isaiah)
Mozzerella Cheese, shredded or Daiya Mozzerella style shreds
Italian Seasonings
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Directions
Divide the pizza dough into to equal parts and form them into 6" circles that are about 1/4" or maybe even a little thicker. Allow dough to rest or rise, depending on your recipe's instructions, then cook at 450F one at a time on a pizza stone for 8 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then slice open, like you're cutting a hamburger bun. Cover one side with cheese, and sandwich it together. Mix some garlic powder with olive oil and brush over the top of the bread and top with a sprinkling of Italian seasonings. Cook on the pizza stone for another 5 minutes. Slice into breadsticks and enjoy.
Cheese Stuffed Focaccia Bread
Enough pizza dough to make 2 X 8" pizza crusts (I use Silvana Nardone's from her book, Cooking for Isaiah)
Mozzerella Cheese, shredded or Daiya Mozzerella style shreds
Italian Seasonings
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Directions
Divide the pizza dough into to equal parts and form them into 6" circles that are about 1/4" or maybe even a little thicker. Allow dough to rest or rise, depending on your recipe's instructions, then cook at 450F one at a time on a pizza stone for 8 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then slice open, like you're cutting a hamburger bun. Cover one side with cheese, and sandwich it together. Mix some garlic powder with olive oil and brush over the top of the bread and top with a sprinkling of Italian seasonings. Cook on the pizza stone for another 5 minutes. Slice into breadsticks and enjoy.
Udi's, Kinnikinnick, and Enjoy Life...Oh my!
Okay, I just realized how far behind I'm getting on product reviews...so here is my attempt to catch up, just a little.
First up is Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins
. My mother-in-law was nice enough to buy these for us, and they were awesome. We kept them in the freezer, then popped them in the microwave when we wanted them, it was like eating warm chocolate cake. Yes, they were a bit heavier than cake would be, but muffins are supposed to be. They were the indulgence in chocolate that I needed...so, yes, they were dairy-free and soy-free, too!
Overall Rating 10 out of 10 I love Udi's, they make great products, that taste like they were meant to taste.
Next up is, of course, more donuts...I love Kinnikinnick donuts, we've tried the chocolate glazed and the vanilla glazed, so we just had to try the Kinnikinnick Cinnamon Sugar Donuts! It actually all started on Monday, I went to take my boys out to dinner to the only place in town where we can all eat a decent meal, and I forgot that they are closed on Mondays. Well, our wonderful health food store, Shangri La, is right next door, so I treated them to donuts instead. :) It took us all of maybe a day to devour the entire box...and that was with me trying to restrict how quickly we ate them. I think these ones are the best we've tried so far, and we loved the other ones, so you know how good these ones are!
Overall Rating 10 out of 10 Thank you kinnikinnick for making amazing donuts and wonderful cookies, too!
And finally, we are to Enjoy Life Foods boom CHOCO boom Rice Milk Chocolate Bar. I saw this at Walmart of all places (our Walmarts here in town really don't have the best gluten/dairy/soy-free selection), but it was back when I was still missing chocolate, especially milk chocolate, obviously. So, I thought I'd splurge (and it's a splurge when you're paying over a $1.50 for a regular sized candy bar) and try it. It definitely wasn't a Hershey bar. It reminded me of those Palmer chocolates that you get around the holidays...you know those cheap ones that are waxy and don't have the right texture? Well, that's what this was, but in spite of that, I still devoured the whole candy bar, so it wasn't that bad. I won't buy them very often, maybe I'll get some for my little one to put in his stocking for Christmas, but that'll be about it. I can take care of my chocolate cravings in other ways, like Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk or Kinnikinnick chocolate glazed donuts, or Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins, or...well you get the picture, I can still eat good chocolate while being dairy-free.
Overall Rating 6 out of 10 for the price I don't want to feel like I'm eating cheap chocolate, but it still works as a candy bar, and for little ones that don't get candy bars, it's a nice treat.
First up is Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins
. My mother-in-law was nice enough to buy these for us, and they were awesome. We kept them in the freezer, then popped them in the microwave when we wanted them, it was like eating warm chocolate cake. Yes, they were a bit heavier than cake would be, but muffins are supposed to be. They were the indulgence in chocolate that I needed...so, yes, they were dairy-free and soy-free, too!Overall Rating 10 out of 10 I love Udi's, they make great products, that taste like they were meant to taste.
Next up is, of course, more donuts...I love Kinnikinnick donuts, we've tried the chocolate glazed and the vanilla glazed, so we just had to try the Kinnikinnick Cinnamon Sugar Donuts! It actually all started on Monday, I went to take my boys out to dinner to the only place in town where we can all eat a decent meal, and I forgot that they are closed on Mondays. Well, our wonderful health food store, Shangri La, is right next door, so I treated them to donuts instead. :) It took us all of maybe a day to devour the entire box...and that was with me trying to restrict how quickly we ate them. I think these ones are the best we've tried so far, and we loved the other ones, so you know how good these ones are!
And finally, we are to Enjoy Life Foods boom CHOCO boom Rice Milk Chocolate Bar. I saw this at Walmart of all places (our Walmarts here in town really don't have the best gluten/dairy/soy-free selection), but it was back when I was still missing chocolate, especially milk chocolate, obviously. So, I thought I'd splurge (and it's a splurge when you're paying over a $1.50 for a regular sized candy bar) and try it. It definitely wasn't a Hershey bar. It reminded me of those Palmer chocolates that you get around the holidays...you know those cheap ones that are waxy and don't have the right texture? Well, that's what this was, but in spite of that, I still devoured the whole candy bar, so it wasn't that bad. I won't buy them very often, maybe I'll get some for my little one to put in his stocking for Christmas, but that'll be about it. I can take care of my chocolate cravings in other ways, like Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk or Kinnikinnick chocolate glazed donuts, or Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins, or...well you get the picture, I can still eat good chocolate while being dairy-free.
Overall Rating 6 out of 10 for the price I don't want to feel like I'm eating cheap chocolate, but it still works as a candy bar, and for little ones that don't get candy bars, it's a nice treat.
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