italian bread rolls, for real!

a while ago, i finally caved and admitted that the gf flour blend i was routinely using was just plain not available in massachusetts. i was getting it when i went up to maine, at a place called wild flours gluten free market. they were in brunswick. then i heard that their block had a fire and they burned down! now, they are still doing bake sales and farmer's markets (it looks like from their facebook page), but that doesn't help me down here in massachusetts. so, in short, i changed flour brands. AND I AM SO HAPPY I DID!

this stuff is amazing! it's called better batter and i made real, chewy, wonderful italian bread rolls with it :)


italian bread rolls (adapted from back of better batter box)

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 c better batter flour
1/4 c cornmeal
olive oil and course salt

1. preheat oven to 450.
2. cover baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.
3. using an electric stand mixer, mix together yeast and water and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. add salt and flour and beat on high for 4 minutes.
5. spoon batter onto baking sheet in 1/2 c scoops. smooth over with a spatula or wet hands. brush the tops lightly with olive oil. sprinkle with course salt, if desired.
6. let rise for about 20 minutes.
7. bake for 20-30 minutes and then cool on wire rack.

THIS WAS AWESOME! we made fancy sandwiches with them and just stuffed our faces. they were delicious :)

easter menu

lee and i don't do any religious holidays, but sometimes it is a nice excuse to have a lovely dinner. this year, we barbecued with our upstairs neighbors and had some great food!

marinated tofu kebabs
lamb kebabs
2 different kinds of mint sauce: english mint sauce and yoghurt mint sauce
mushroom and pea risotto
balsamic glazed pearl onions
a spicy green bean and tomato dish with feta cheese

and finally, carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting, served with salted caramel ice cream! again, no pictures, but i am getting notoriously bad at remembering to take photos these days!

carrot cake (makes 1 10-inch cake) adapted from a recipe for torta di carote del veneto from cucina ebraica by joyce goldstein

1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
2 c gluten free all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
approx. 1 lb. carrots, grated
1/2 c almond meal (i sucessfully substituted cornmeal here this time because one of the neighbors is allergic to almonds...)

1. preheat oven to 350 and grease and line a 10 inch spring form pan
2. in a bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the eggs, ginger, vanilla extract and lemon zest. mix thoroughly.
3. add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. mix well.
4. fold in carrots and almond meal.
5. pour into prepared cake pan and bake until golden--about 45 minutes. cool, then frost with:

lemon cream cheese frosting

1/4 c butter
1/4 c cream cheese
2 c confectioner's sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

1. cream together softened butter and cream cheese.
2. add confectioner's sugar, 1/2 c at a time, until all is added and well blended.
3. squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lemon and blend.

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

pineapple gingerbread

wow, was this a delicious recipe i adapted from an applesauce gingerbread recipe in the joy of cooking :) sorry i have no pictures, but hey--i'm back in the saddle with some great posts!

i also have a new and much preferred gluten free flour blend that i'm using: better batter. i was using namaste perfect flour blend (with success), but goodies often had a spongy or stretchy texture to them. the taste was fine, but i wasn't always in love with the texture. this better batter stuff is amazing! i have passed off plenty of baked goodies now with it and friends are feeling sad that i can't eat the things i've made for them because they don't realize it's gluten free. yay!

pineapple gingerbread muffins

1 c crushed pineapple, mostly drained
1/2 c molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c gluten free all-purpose flour
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil

1. preheat oven to 350. line a muffin tin with liners or grease a 8 x 8 inch pan.
2. with a medium bowl in the microwave, bring crushed pineapple to a boil. add molasses and baking soda. the mixture will be foamy and bubble vigorously. let this cool slightly.
3. sift together gf flour (or regular old ap flour), ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
4. in yet another bowl, beat eggs and sugar together on high speed until thick and pale. gradually beat in the oil.
5. fold in flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the pineapple/molasses mixture in 2 parts.
6. scrape batter into muffin tin or 8 x 8 pan and bake--about 25 minutes for muffins or 45 minutes for cake.

pierogies

if you know me, you know that i love anything that can be made into a dumpling. so even though hungarian cuisine doesn't have something like the pierogie, because it is a dumpling i am in love with this beautiful polish food. going gluten free made this a sad thing for me. but i found a great pierogie recipe--so great, i made them twice in the same week! mine are with a bit of a hungarian twist :) served covered in saurkraut and sweet paprika! best thing, this recipe is soooo simple to make. thanks to daring cooks!


gluten free pierogies (makes about 15)

1/3 c tapioca starch
1/3 c sweet rice flour (called mochiko)
2 tbsp potato starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp xanthan gum
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil

1. combine flours, salt and xanthan gum in a bowl.
2. whisk eggs in a separate small bowl. then whisk in oil.
3. pour wet ingredients into dry. mix together, then you'll be able to knead this dough.
4. grab small portions of the dough and roll out on parchment paper. roll out to about 1/8" thick and cut into rounds.

FULL DISCLOSURE: i rolled out all the dough at once and i do not use a biscuit cutter or anything fancy. i just cut into squares. then i thought about it--next time, i will use my ravioli maker! roll out, place on top of ravioli maker (which is kind of like a little ice cube tray), fill, cut. voila!

5. fill. moisten edges of dough with wet fingers and press edges together. then use a fork to completely stick together and make fluted edges.
6. boil until the dumpling floats to the surface and stops looking "doughy."
7. drain pierogies and place in a hot, non-stick frying pan with butter. coat with butter and fry until lightly browned.
8. eat hot!

i filled mine with a mixture of potato, sage and mild cheddar. so i mashed a boiled potato with a bit of butter and salt and pepper. then added some dried sage to taste. i put about a teaspoon of filling into each dumpling and a pinch of cheese. then sealed. they were divine!

the best vegetarian loaf ever

i'm going to say it... i hate those nasty nut and lentil loaves that people think vegetarians like to eat. really? i mean, they're gross and they have strange textures. who wants to eat that? and when i was a kid, i hated meatloaf, too. my mom's was dry and bland. she just put plain tomato paste on top after she baked it! ew... but my mom is not a very good cook--she knows this.

i was flipping through my joy of cooking looking for some home-style dinner inspiration. it was a rough week last week, and i just wanted comfort food. i found it! it's phenomenal! and it's a loaf. i changed the recipe a bit, as usual. it called for store bought baked, smoked tofu and i could not find this. other options were not gluten free. so we made our own smoked tofu out on our grill with our grill smoker. it was great :) i wish i had a better picture. but this thing was so delicious we had eaten half of it before i remembered to take a picture!


smokey tofu vegetable loaf (inspired by the joy of cooking's smoked tofu burgers)

7 oz. smoked tofu
5 oz. sliced button mushrooms
1 c chopped broccoli
1/3 c chopped orange bell pepper
1/4 c sliced scallions
2 tsp peeled and minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c cooked rice (you can use any kind on hand. we happened to have leftover sushi rice, so that's what i used. i might use brown rice next time if i plan ahead.)
2/3 c bread crumbs (i made crumbs from 2 slices of pamela's bread mix bread)
2 eggs, whisked
1 tbsp soy sauce
plenty of the following spices: black pepper, salt, paprika
pinch of chipotle

1. we had to grill and smoke our tofu.
2. preheat oven to 375 and oil a loaf pan.
3. saute mushrooms in olive oil. when they start to release their liquid, add broccoli, bell pepper and scallions. cook until slightly soft, then add ginger, garlic and spices. add rice, stir around and remove from heat.
4. put veggies and rice into food processor. our food processor is small, so we had to do all this in a couple batches.
5. run smoked tofu through the food processor. mix together the rice/veggie mixture, tofu, breadcrumbs, eggs and soy sauce.
6. the mixture should be pretty uniform, but you should be able to see little veggie pieces and whatnot. it should not look like a "custard."
7. press into loaf pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until nice and browned on top.

we had this with dilled mashed potatoes and gravy and buttered carrots. it was comfort on a plate. and the loaf makes fantastic leftovers. i kept imagining tofu loaf sandwiches this winter. i can't wait to eat this again.

pineapple upside down cake

we had a bbq. i really wanted a tasty and easy dessert to make. then i craved it: pineapple upside down cake. this might be the best pineapple upside down cake i've ever had. there was none leftover from the bbq. i so wish i had taken a picture of them whole, beautiful, unmolded. but alas, they went that fast. i only have this picture of my wonderful slice of heaven.

thank you, the baking beauties, who i have on my list of favorite blogs. they are gluten free and gave me my base recipe here. i adapted a bit...sorry, i don't put mayonnaise in cake...

eat your hearts out, pineapple upside down cake lovers!

pineapple upside down cake
yield: 2 cakes

1 1/2 c white rice flour
3/4 c tapioca starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
4 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
2/3 c sour cream
scant 1 c pineapple juice (drained from the can of slices)
2 tsp pineapple liqueur

topping:
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 can sliced pineapple rings
maraschino cherries

1. preheat oven to 350. grease and flour 2 8" cake pans.
2. melt butter. divide evenly between the 2 cake pans.
3. sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. divide between the 2 cakes.
4. top decoratively with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. set aside.
5. mix together dry ingredients.
6. mix eggs, sugar and sour cream until fluffy. pour in dry ingredients, pineapple juice and pineapple liqueur. mix well.
7. pour evenly over the pineapple slices in the prepared cake pans.
8. bake for 25-30 minutes until done. cakes should be lightly golden and should spring back lightly to the touch.
9. remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. remove from pans at this time or they will be stuck forever!

WARNING: you will eat all of this cake! :)

a pizza crust to keep!

one of the things i miss about being gluten free is pizza. most everything else i don't care about. it's funny--these days, the smell of some baking things just make me feel sick to my stomach, a true reminder of how bad i used to feel :( but not pizza... luckily, there is some great gluten free pizza out there. some of you might remember the wonderful gluten free pizza and jojos that i had in ohio upon a visit to my family. i will go to altieri's again! and there is a fantastic place here called zing in porter square. my favorite at zing is the blue october: a pizza with squash sauce, spinach, caramelized onions, and i substitute feta for the blue cheese. heaven!

in any case, i like to make pizza sometimes too, and i finally found a crust i can work with. don't let the long ingredient list scare you! this particular pizza that i made was spread with ricotta (and the tiniest amount of pizza sauce on top of this), sauteed apples, browned onions, cheddar and sage. YUM!


a good pizza crust (adapted from gluten free mommy)
yield: 1 crust

1/4 c millet flour
3/4 c white rice flour
1/4 c sweet rice flour (called mochiko in asian stores)
3/4 c tapioca starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp additional sugar (for proofing the yeast)
1 packet active dry yeast
3/4 c warm water (about 115 degrees)
2 tbsp ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey

1. place pizza stone or pan in the oven and heat to 170 degrees.
2. mix olive oil, ricotta cheese, vinegar and honey in a measuring cup and set aside. allow to come to room temperature. do not use cold ingredients!
3. combine all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. give a couple of whirls with the paddle attachment (NOT DOUGH HOOK) to aerate.
4. heat your water.
5. in a small separate bowl, add yeast stirred with the tsp of sugar and 1/4 c of the warmed water.
6. let it sit for a few minutes so that you can see it's active. it will get all foamy.
7. whirl your dry ingredients again and add your eggs and then the ricotta mixture.
8. add the yeast mixture and then gauge your liquids... the dough should look like a stiff cake batter. it should still hold the twirls from the mixer well and should be shiny. add additional heated water as necessary to achieve this. i only added an extra 1/4 c of water, coming to a total of 1/2 c of warm water. the original recipe writer used a total of 3/4 c. it depends on how dry your flours are--but you'll have to play with this one!
9. turn the oven off and remove your pizza stone/pan. cover with parchment paper. spread dough over the top. i used wet hands to spread over the stone. i might use a rolling pin and some wax paper on top the next time to make a thinner crust. but do whatever you feel comfortable with :)
10. put stone back in the OFF oven and let rise for 40 minutes. (full disclosure, i only let mine rise for 25 because i was hungry!)
11. once it has risen, turn oven to 375 and prebake for 10 minutes.
12. remove and add your toppings. bake for an additional 7-10 minutes.

general tso's tofu

has anyone out there read the fortune cookie chronicles by jennifer 8. lee? well, in it, along with trying to find the origin of the fortune cookie, she seeks out general tso's chicken all over the world in an effort to understand chinese cuisine in the diaspora. it has nothing to do with this recipe, but making it made me think of the book--which i read a while ago and thoroughly enjoyed. i would recommend it to anyone who is interested in food history/culture books :)

anyway, this was SO delicious--and the leftovers were fantastic the next day (just not as crispy). and then i even wanted it again. oh, and i notoriously hate chinese food. but i was looking for a new tofu recipe and this struck my fancy. below is a conglomeration of several recipes i looked up.


general tso's tofu

1 lb. extra firm tofu
~ 1/2c cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
3 chopped green onions
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic
2/3c vegetable broth
2 tbsp wheat-free tamari
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp gluten free hoisin sauce
1/2-3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
sesame seeds

1. press and drain tofu. pat dry and cut into 1/2" chunks. toss tofu in a bowl with the cornstarch (reserve some cornstarch to thicken the sauce at the end--just set aside in a separate bowl about 1 1/2 tbsps).
2. heat oil in a non-stick skillet and shallow fry. i really sauteed until nice and crispy on about four sides. that seemed to cook all the cornstarch and make it nice and crunchy. it may take 2 batches--then remove and drain on paper towels
3. heat a small amount of oil in the pan. add green onions, ginger, and garlic. cook until fragrant--DO NOT BURN GARLIC.
4. in a separate bowl, whisk together broth, tamari, sugar, vinegar, hoisin and red pepper. remove a couple of tbsps and mix with reserved cornstarch. add liquid mix to pan--do not add cornstarch mixture until the rest is warm.
5. mix cornstarch mixture into pan, stirring constantly until thickened.
6. add tofu and coat evenly.
7. serve with broccoli over brown rice. garnish with sesame seeds.

strawberries!

on this past saturday, lee and i went to pick strawberries. folks, i'm sorry to say that russell orchards in ipswich is no longer my favorite place to go. they used to feel a lot more homey. these days, they are very commercial feeling and have lost that family friendly attitude that i feel farms need in order to survive. this year, they announced that ALL people 2-years-old and older will be charged $3 just to walk into the fields or orchard. they say that this will count toward what you actually purchase, yet they also say that this will help them recoup what's eaten in the fields. they basically say on their web site that if you eat in the fields it's the same as stealing and they want to put a stop to it. so it felt a little too policed for my taste. i probably won't go back even though they've been my go-to pick-your-own place for apples and strawberries for the past 4 years.

we went to shelburne farms in stow instead. you just purchased your quart container before you went into the field and went away to pick :) it was a cute little farm and you knew it was operated by the people who own it. oh, and when we came out of the fields, we asked in the farm store if the berries were sprayed or fertilized and they said, "no! anything that can be eaten by pickers in the field can't be sprayed. we don't want to poison you!" so they basically said that they know people will eat while they're picking. funny...

full disclosure: i ate 1 berry while picking. i wanted to taste the goodness i was smelling. but then i didn't eat any until i came home. no smorgasbord in the field for me--and i can't be the only honest person out there put off by russell orchard's new policy...

but the picking was great!


and then i came home and had to make things with my new fresh berries, so we had crepes for sunday morning breakfast. these are blueberry and strawberry crepes, with a bit of maple cream, cinnamon and sugar.


and then i made strawberry banana muffins, adapted from a recipe in gluten free baking by rebecca reilly. these were partially made with the gluten free flour blend suggested by the author, which was a mix of brown rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch. if anyone wants the exact quantities of this blend, let me know. i don't always like the grittiness of brown rice flour, so i mixed this with my preferred gluten free flour, namaste perfect flour blend.


strawberry banana muffins

1 c gluten free flour blend
1/2 c namaste perfect flour blend
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
pinch salt
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1 dozen strawberries, roughly quartered
1/2 c soy milk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
white granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. preheat oven to 350 and line muffin cups.
2. mix together in a large bowl gluten free flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt.
3. whisk together mashed banana, chopped strawberries, soy milk, oil, egg and vanilla. pour into dry ingredients and stir until well blended.
4. scoop into muffin cups (and ice cream scooper works well) and sprinkle with sugar before baking. bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes or until done.

asparagus mushroom crepes with dijon wine sauce

mmm... french food...

asparagus mushroom crepes

filling:
1 bunch thin asparagus
1 10-oz. box of sliced portobello mushrooms
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
thyme, to taste

crepes:
3 eggs
1 c soy milk
1/2 c potato starch
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons canola oil

1. cut off tough ends of asparagus. then chop stalks into quarters. melt some butter in a pan and saute mushrooms and asparagus, with spices and herbs, until mushrooms release their liquid.
2. put eggs and milk into a blender. blend.
3. add potato starch and salt and blend again. refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. take crepe batter out of the fridge. pulse briefly, then pour into hot crepe pan (we use a pre-seasoned cast iron pan. it makes wonderful crepes that don't stick!). swirl the mixture around to coat the bottom of the crepe pan evenly.
5. cook over medium heat until the surface of the crepe looks dry, about 1-2 minutes. flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.
6. slide crepe onto a plate and fill 1/4 of it with the asparagus mushroom mixture. then fold in quarters over the mixture. top with dijon wine sauce (below) and paprika :)

dijon wine sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp namaste perfect flour blend
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 c white wine (i used a white wine from the cotes du rhone region)
1/2 c grated cheese (i used a mix of swiss and meunster)
black pepper, to taste

1. melt butter in a heavy bottom sauce pan. whisk in flour and stir to thicken.
2. add dijon.
3. pour wine over roux and stir constantly to ensure nothing will stick in the pan.
4. bring to a boil. remove from heat and stir in cheese until fully melted. add pepper.
5. pour over crepes!


warning: sauce is bitey! i actually would use less dijon for my tastes, but lee loves dijon. you could easily cut it down to a half tbsp of dijon and still have a great tasting sauce, in my opinion.

orange poppy seed muffins

i'm behind! i have 2 recipes to post that i think you all will like (and could easily change for your own "normal" eating habits!). this recipe makes about 1 1/2 dozen large muffins. i adapted it from a recipe for lemon poppy seed bread or cake and left the overall quantities the same because i wanted a lot of muffins. well, i got 'em! :)


orange poppy seed muffins (makes 1 1/2 dz.)

1 c orange juice
2/3 c poppy seeds
2 3/4 c namaste perfect flour blend
1/2 c cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp salt
1 c spectrum vegan shortening
1 1/3 c packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. mix together oj and poppy seeds in a small bowl.
2. in another bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.
3. using a stand mixer (or hand mixer), cream the shortening and the brown sugar. add the eggs one at a time and then vanilla. add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the oj/poppy seed mixture.
4. scoop into muffin pans prepared with liners or lightly oiled. bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. the tops should spring back when gently pressed.

delicious warm, with a tad bit of butter or honey :)

tofu 3 ways

i love tofu. sometimes, i even crave it. here are some pictures of beautiful, tasty, tofu-featuring dinners i've had recently:

lemon asparagus risotto with tofu balls on the side. the lemon asparagus risotto was made with lemon juice instead of wine, a touch of lemon zest, and chopped asparagus. the tofu balls were made with the changes i suggested before--no flour on the outside, hands covered in oil and used to coat the balls. then i baked them in the oven until brown and a little crispy on the outside. i have also since found that not putting shallots in them helps them hold together much better. and they are delish! i love making a batch of these on the weekend to have with several meals throughout the week :)


mango ginger tofu, from my favorite ppk ladies! we put ours on skewers with pineapple and yellow bell pepper and then grilled. served with black rice.


cornmeal encrusted tofu with an olive and sundried tomato "gremolata." basically, a traditional gremolata with the olives and sundried tomatoes added to my taste. served with mashed potatoes and miso gravy and sweet green peas. this made me swoon!

curry powder

i ran out of curry powder, but wanted to make this great pea and potato curry dish that lee and i like. so i made my own. this made 2 tsp of curry powder, so of course you could make a bigger batch. however, don't make a bunch to store because it won't taste as good. make and use as needed:

ann's curry powder

1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch each ground black pepper, kosher salt and nutmeg

it was waaay better than store bought curry powder (surprise, surprise). i won't buy it anymore now. i'll just make this.

country fried tofu

'nuff said :)


ann's country fried tofu

1 lb extra firm tofu
1 egg
1/2 c plain soymilk
3/4 c white rice flour
1/2 c gluten free bread crumbs
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste (optional)

1. drain tofu well and pat dry with paper towels.
2. slice into 8 slices, by cutting the block in half, then the halves in half, etc...
3. mix white rice flour with plenty of salt and pepper in a small bowl. i love to add paprika here as well. mix egg and milk together in another small bowl. put bread crumbs in a third small bowl.
4. dredge tofu in white rice flour, followed by milk/egg mixture, then bread crumbs.
5. fry. i shallow fried mine, because deep fried foods gross me out. but you don't need to deep fry with this tasty recipe :)

serve with vinegar slaw and biscuits for a down home kinda meal.

mmm...mmm...mexican!

i'm known for these here asparagus enchiladas. my sister calls me once a year to ask, again, how to make them. the people that we knew in boulder couldn't wait until asparagus season for me to make these. they made appearances at dinners and get-togethers and have come in several varieties. i haven't been able to eat them for a while. before i knew i was gluten-intolerant, their slight spiciness made me so sick to my stomach that i thought i'd never have them again.

but my gluten free diet has changed all this :) i feel great, and i ate asparagus enchiladas twice this week to prove it! here is my most recent variation on an old household favorite:


asparagus-tofu enchiladas

1 bunch of thin stalked asparagus
1/2 lb tofu
1 sm can diced green chiles (i like hatch, if you have that brand)
10 corn tortillas
1 15-oz can mild red enchilada sauce
1 c shredded mixed mexican cheeses

1. wash the asparagus and trim the tough ends off the stalks. cut stalks in half. place in a shallow sauce pan with approximately 1/2 inch of lightly salted water. steam asparagus for 2-3 minutes, or until bright green.
2. drain and press tofu. dry with clean paper towels. slice into slabs, then slice into strips the short way.
3. coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 and 8 x 8 pan with enchilada sauce.
4. steam corn tortillas. put a couple pieces of asparagus and 2 strips of tofu into each tortilla. then top with green chiles to taste. roll tortilla and place into pan. do this for all 10 tortillas. i can usually get 6 into the larger pan, and then the final four into the 8 x 8 square pan.
5. top lightly with enchilada sauce until ends are nicely covered but the enchiladas are not soupy. top with shredded cheese.
6. bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

this time, i served my enchiladas with mexican white rice. i adapted this recipe from rick bayless's mexican kitchen. i have two of his cookbooks, and i am rarely disappointed when i get an idea from him.

ann's mexican rice

1 lg onion, diced
1 sm can corn niblets, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c long grain white rice
2 1/2 c vegetable broth

1. saute the onion with the raw rice with the oil in a non-stick pan for about 5 minutes. it's okay if the some of the rice gets brown. add the corn kernals and give a quick stir. add the broth.
2. pour into a casserole dish. cover with foil and a lid (if you have a lid for the pan. if there's no lid, that's fine).
3. bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
4. remove from the oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

and here you will have a lovely mexican meal! put a little salsa and sour cream on the side and you won't be disappointed. yum :)

crepes and a booked vacation

one of the things that made me most upset when i learned i had to live gluten free was the loss of crepes. i love crepes, and they are something special to me. sometimes, on a sunday, my husband will get up before me and make a beautiful crepe batter. we slowly make and eat crepes and just have a lovely morning--doing nothing! i particularly like cinnamon sugar crepes, or ones with honey and almonds, or cheese and jam, or... never mind, i like crepes with anything!

an interesting crepe anecdote is that when we were in japan almost 2 years ago on vacation, we learned that the japanese also love crepes. in fact, in japan, they like almost anything french but then they give them a distinctly japanese twist. so the crepe i had (which was quite large, i might add) was as follows: a piece of lettuce covered with cream cheese, then a scoop of tuna salad, covered in pizza sauce.

i know, your gagging right now. but honestly you can't knock strange japanese food combinations until you try them. we learned while traveling there that they really are food geniuses! truly! look how good it looked!

but i digress...

recently, i found out that a friend of mine is allergic to wheat. this is also a new thing to her. now this is slightly different because she is not gluten intolerant. but in many cases, we eat the same things :) she loaned me a cookbook her sister got for her upon her diagnosis called nearly normal cooking for gluten-free eating by jules e. d. shepard. it has some not so great recipes, but it also has some fantastic recipes--like GLUTEN FREE CREPES! i had experimented with making crepes again with lackluster results. but i tried this recipe and it has the taste and texture of real crepes! i'm in heaven :)


crepes

2 tbsp flour (again, i use namaste perfect flour blend)
3 eggs
3 tbsp plain soymilk
1/2 tsp salt

1. combine in a small food processor. cook in a crepe pan or small non-stick skillet until beautiful and lightly browned on both sides.

i filled mine with crumbled tofu "sausages" (again, my tofu balls), sweet potatoes and cheese. lee's had his filled with spiced chicken and apples. then we had dessert, of course! mine is the subdued, yet beautiful crepe with pink sprinkles. those of you who know lee are not surprised by his crazy dessert crepe!


and to the other part of my story today: thinking of crepes made me think of japan. japan made me think of vacations. lee and i just booked our summer vacation :) at the end of june, we will be headed to virginia where we will hike approximately 40 miles of the appalachian trail lodge-to-lodge, in shenandoah national park. i am so looking forward to it. from there, we will slowly make our way to some beach, while sipping wine and taking in some historic spots. i already feel relaxed. i can't wait for june 23rd!

"healthy" hashbrown casserole

a friend and i were reminiscing about hashbrown casserole not too long ago. i thought, "mmm... i want me some of that..." but i recalled it being just hashbrown potatoes and cream of mushroom soup. not too nutritious! so here i've come up with a healthier, but still satisfyingly yummy, hashbrown casserole.


ann's healthy hashbrown casserole

1 lb potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp + 1 tsp flour
1 c plain soy milk
1/3 c low fat sour cream
1/2-3/4 c shredded cheese (i used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
1/2 tsp salt
paprika, to taste
pepper, to taste
dill, to taste
pinch turmeric
1/4 c gluten free breadcrumbs

1. squeeze excess liquid out of shredded potatoes. place in an oiled non-stick skillet. pat down and fry evenly in a large pancake. this is to get some brown-ness on the potatoes, a la hashbrowns. do this until all your potatoes are lightly browned but not cooked. put in a large mixing bowl and break up gently. add shredded and uncooked carrot. stir in sour cream thoroughly and then mix in cheeses.
2. saute onions and pepper 3-5 minutes, until beginning to brown and soften. add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid. add herbs and spices. stir until incorporated. sprinkle with flour (i use namaste's gluten free perfect flour blend). stir and add soymilk.
3. cook until soymilk starts to bubble and thicken. pour over veggie and sour cream/cheese mixture. stir until well combined.
4. put in a buttered casserole. top with breadcrumbs and a small amount of shredded cheese.
5. bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. it will be brown and bubbly, and the potatoes should be cooked through by this time.

mmm...mmm...mmm!


i ate this with my tofu balls, but i shaped them more like sausages. i also used less breadcrumbs (about half as much) and did not coat with flour--like i said i would do the last time. instead, i oiled my hands and coated the tofu "sausages". then i placed them on a baking sheet on parchment paper and baked for 20 minutes until they were beautiful and brown. this is the PERFECT way to make these tofu beauties, and the next time i make balls i will do the same :)

low country boil

hey y'all!

well, there are many things i disliked about living in georgia, but low country boil ain't one of 'em. here's a good description of what low country boil is. basically, it's a big pot of shrimp (sometimes crab, as well), new potatoes, corn on the cob, and sausage boiled together with old bay. mine is a little bit of a fancier version :)


ann's low country boil--courtesy of my 9 month stay in savannah, georgia

serves 2
1 lb shrimp, heads off and deveined, but shells on
1 lb yukon gold potatoes
1 buffalo or andouille flavored chicken sausage
2 tbsp old bay seasoning
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp dill
1/4 tsp paprika
3 tbsp butter

1. cut potatoes into about 1 inch pieces. throw in a pot with cold water and plenty of salt. bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are starting to get soft.
2. throw shrimp into the pot and sausage. cook until done. if using frozen shrimp, which we do up here in the frozen north, it will take about 6 minutes. then your potatoes will be perfectly done!
3. drain. put shrimp and potatoes back into pot with the butter. keep the heat on low. melt butter and add nutmeg, dill and paprika as well. coat everything real well.
4. serve hot, with a nice bit of corn bread on the side :)

at my house, the sausage is not boiled in the pot. lee cooks it on the side. i am not sausage friendly, so i don't want it touching my food. so i take out my portion of shrimp and potatoes, and then lee throws his sausage into the pot and coats it nicely with everything else. he also drastically prefers the buffalo sausage to andouille. the church's page above says they use polish sausage, but i'm pretty sure the places i saw it on the menu it was usually andouille. you can use whatever sausage you want to! (oh, and a note here, low country boil does not work with sweet potatoes. we tried that when we were out of potatoes, but it was unsuccessful...)

drink with plenty of beer!


ann's gluten free cornbread

1 c cornmeal
1 c white rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
3/4 c plain soymilk
1/4 c canola oil
1 tbsp honey

1. mix together dry ingredients. add wet ingredients and stir to combine.
2. pour into muffin cups or 8 x 8 baking pan. put into 400 degree oven.
3. muffins will take about 20-25 minutes to bake. bread will take closer to 45 minutes.

sometimes, i add chili spices to the muffins if i'm having them with something like low country boil. either way, be sure to serve with plenty of butter :) or they make a nice breakfast, too, with plenty of jam!

is there anything that beats bananas?

i love a classy chocolate banana cream pie. here it is, folks--gluten free and mostly vegan too!


chocolate banana cream pie

crust:
1 c arrowroot cookies
2 tbsp butter

ganache:
3 oz. chocolate chips
1/4 c vanilla soy milk

filling:
2 sliced bananas
1/2 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups vanilla soy milk
1 tbsp butter (use 2 tbsp if you want a richer flavor)
1 tsp vanilla

1. process arrowroot cookies into nice crumbs. melt butter and add to crumbs. press into a 9 inch pie plate.
2. melt chocolate chips into soymilk in a pan over a VERY low flame. spread ganache evenly over pie crust. place into refrigerator to firm up (about 5 minutes).
3. layer sliced bananas over the bottom of the crust, right on top of the chocolate. reserve any unused banana slices.
4. for filling, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. pour soy milk into a sauce pan. pour sugar combination into soy milk. whisk thoroughly. turn on the burner to medium. whisk soy milk combination constantly until it begins to thicken and bubble. once it starts to bubble, cook over low heat for 1 minute. turn heat off. whisk in butter and vanilla. pour over crust.
5. use rest of the banana slices and put on top of the pie in a decorative pattern. use plastic wrap and cover pie. put the plastic wrap directly on top of the pie--when the plastic wrap touches the surface of the pie, this prevents a skin from forming!
6. when completely cooled and set (at least 2 hours), serve with whipped cream or drizzled chocolate on top :)

and here's a classy side-view of the pie so you can see the layers. divine!

sugary peanut butter cookies :)

this is a fantastic recipe for peanut butter cookies, gluten free or not. in the past, i have disliked peanut butter cookies. i think it was a combination of the texture and something that i did not like about the smell of baked peanut butter. but these are fantastic, and i will make them again. maybe because they are crunchy sugary! woo hoo! i made mine with peanut butter and company's dark chocolate dreams peanut butter.


gluten free peanut butter cookies

1 c creamy peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

1. preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. mix peanut butter and sugar until well blended. then add the rest of the ingredients.
3. take about 1 tbsp of the dough and roll into a ball. if desired, roll in granulated sugar (i did not do this--cookies are very sugary on their own.)
4. press fork pattern in tops of cookies. bake for about 12 minutes.
5. cool for 5 minutes before removing cookies from pan onto wire rack.