gluten-free scones

i recently stumbled upon a new brand of gluten-free flour blends (new for us at least); not only is the flour gf, they are also gmo-free AND organic!  score!!  maninis gluten free is a little company out of the seattle area and offer gluten-free goodies out of a bake shop and local farmers' markets; but, since i no longer live near by, i decided to order an assortment of their flour blends and try some recipes of my own.  here is a scone recipe i came up with using an amalgam of recipes around the web.  enjoy as they were DELISH!

ingredients:

1 cup greek yogurt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups maninis multiuso flour mix
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut oil (room temp) OR butter
1 egg
1 cup dried fruit of your choice (or chocolate chips, nuts, whatever you fancy, i suppose)

method:
1. combine greek yogurt with baking soda in a small bowl and set aside (about 5-10 minutes).
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees, cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
3. in a large bowl, combine:  flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt.  cut in the coconut oil (or butter if you choose) then mix in the yogurt and egg just until moistened.
4. turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, knead, knead until the dough is mixed thoroughly. **i added the dried fruit at this stage as when the dough was in the bowl, it wasn't completely combined.
5. roll it out to approximately 3/4 inch thickness and cut into triangles.  place on cookie sheets about 1" apart.   
6. bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned on bottoms.

lucy's chicken cheese sticks

casein exists in all mammal milk from humans to  platypuses; lucy is allergic (or intolerant) to cow casein.  the recipe that follows includes sheep milk cheese, tolerated well by lucy, but may not be so for others with a casein allergy/intolerance.

ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 egg beaten with a little water
1/2 cup glutino bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
s & p
garlic powder
1T olive oil

method:
heat oven to 375 degrees
heat olive oil in a medium size pan over medium high heat
cut chicken breast into bite size pieces or tenders depending on the likes of the eater :)
mix egg, water, s &p, and garlic powder in one bowl and mix bread crumbs and cheese in another
coat each piece of chicken with the egg wash then dredge in the bread crumb mix
shake off excess and place in the pan
cook for about 2 minutes on each side
use a cookie sheet with a grate so any excess oil will drain in the oven
cook in the oven about 12 minutes depending on the size of the bites.

last night i made these for lucy and fried a few in the pan for her to eat for dinner then fried the rest and immediately froze them; just put them on a plate and place in freezer until frozen then bag them.  cook in oven when ready to use.

who knew gf cookies could be this good?!?

most of the time i attempt everything 'from scratch'; but not this time.  my good friend jill sent lucy and i an assortment of king arthur flour mixes.  we made the cookie mix last night using chocolate dream chocolate chips as our 'mix-in' and they turned out to be one of the best cookies around the gluten free scene.

the best stuffing i've ever made (really not saying much, but really, so good!)

i know, i know it is way past thanksgiving and the time frame i planned for posting my recipes.  our holidays here in eureka brought us family, joy, and very tasty morsels.  admittedly, my apprehension almost overcame my ability to pull of a delish meal for my guests; but, everything tasted amazing and looked even better than i'd hoped.

cornbread stuffing muffins
     ingredients:
ghee (clarified butter) for prepping muffin tins
1 pound loose breakfast sausage (prepared here by our local co-op grocery store)
3 stalks celery finely chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 small or 2 medium tart-ish apples peeled and chopped
1/2 cup of fresh sage chopped
salt and pepper
3 cups water combined with 1 T. better than bouillon (chicken) or 3 cups chicken stock.
about 1/2 of a pan of bob's red mill gluten-free cornbread  (prepared in advance)
2 large eggs beaten

     method:  
preheat and bake at 375 degrees
1.  brown the sausage then, remove from pan and reserve the drippings
2.  saute the celery, onions, apples, sage and salt & pepper in the drippings for about 10 minutes or until softened.
3.  cut up the cornbread into cubes ***i used frozen cornbread (partially thawed) made cutting into cubes a easy!*** and prep the muffin tins (i think i ended up with about 20)
4. combine the sausage, vegetable mixture, eggs, chicken bouillon, and cornbread. spoon into the muffin tins filling each to the top or a little higher.
5. cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes then remove foil and bake for about 20-30 until browned on top.

thanksgiving!

we (okay, mostly 'i') pulled off a gluten-free and mostly casein-free and very tasty and very traditional thanksgiving feast.  i have to admit i am pretty satisfied with myself (at least on this endeavor).  i plan to post the recipes in the next few days, but first let me list the menu:
turkey
cornbread stuffing
mashed potatoes and gravy
stir-fryed green beans
yams
cranberry sauce
onion rolls
pumpkin pie
apple pie
and coconut whipped cream
if i have a minute between projects tonight, i will post the recipes!

'mac-cheeze'

new discoveries (at the market and online) afforded that some foods, once considered completely off limits, could be found in modified forms; some of the best have come from amy's kitchen prepared foods.  as far as i am aware, all of amy's products are natural and vegetarian.  **not all are allergy friendly so be sure to always read the labels.**

one of lucy's favorites is the gluten-dairy free mac and cheeze; what picky girl doesn't love mac and cheese?  uhh, gluten-dairy free mac and cheese, yum??  believe me, skepticism didn't even etch the surface of my doubts.   anyway, it is delish and convenient. the biggest drawback is the price; this particular meal is about $5 for 4 ounces.  those of us on a gluten-casein free diet know that the foods are spendy, espeically those foods that stand in for regular gluten-full products. therefore, i developed my own recipe for gluten-casein free 'mac-cheeze'

mac-cheeze
1 package lundburg's brown rice elbow mac (you can use whatever shape you prefer as long as it is small-ish) cooked per package directions, water reserved.
1 package daiya deliciously dairy free cheddar-type shreds
2 T. clarified butter aka ghee (use only clarified butter as it is casein free.  alternatively, a substitution with oil is acceptable)
2-3 T. bob's red mill white rice flour
2-3 T.  nutritional yeast (read the label to ensure it is gluten and/or casein free, most i have found is vegan but may contain gluten; i like bragg brand)
2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 T. salt (more or less, to taste)

method
1.  in a large sauce pan, melt the clarified butter of medium heat
2.  slowly whisk in the white rice flour
3.  cook together about a minute or so, keep stirring so it doesn't burn
4.  add about 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and combine well until thickened.  add more water as needed.
5.  using a spoon, stir in the 'cheese' slowly!
6.  keep stirring until melted into a sauce.
7.  add nutritional yeast, mustard powder, and salt.
8.  stir in the noodles.
                                                                                 



                                                                                                        9.  enjoy!!

i freeze the leftovers as portion sizes in microwave safe glass containers.

delish beans and rice recipe!

i had not planned on including this recipe, but, i made it the other night and reminded myself how tasty it is!  this recipe appeals to everyone from allergy-inflicted to omnivore to vegan.

ingredients:
4 cans of beans (make sure you have at least one can each of red and black beans)
1 can of tomatoes (i use diced or stewed, though i chop if stewed)
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper (i mix up the color, usually whatever i have on hand)
3/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves minced garlic
2 T. (yes, tablespoons) basil
3 bay leaves
s&p to your liking
cayenne pepper aka red pepper (you can use hot sauce if you don't have this on hand)
cooked rice

method:
saute' celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the olive oil and liberally salt and pepper the veggies; i just do this in a large stock pot or dutch oven to conserve dirty dishes for the clean up crew.  once the onions soften and become transparent add the basil, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper saute' a few minutes (a little goes a long way, so better to add more later if it is too tame).  then add the tomatoes and beans.  that's it.  you can let it simmer until thick or enjoy immediately (i personally like it to thicken so it isn't too soupy).  serve over rice and enjoy!
serves:  6-8