I probably should just delete all of my old posts and start fresh, but for some reason I just can't do that. So much has happened since I posted last, I don't even know where to start.

• We have moved. 
• My husband has had lots of health issues leading to him not working since 11/2010.
• We had a beautiful baby girl.
• We have an adorable brand new niece.
• We have remodeled my parent's house.
• We now eat gluten, casein, soy and corn free.

Everything that has been happening has forced me to look for ways to be more efficient. My latest effort has been making mixes for the baked goods that we make all the time. Let's face it, it isn't hard to make a cake or cookies from scratch, but it does take a little more time. Time that I don't have on a lot of days. I am praying that this will make it easier to stay on track with our schedule and food budget.

Today I made brownie mixes. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes more to do 6 batches than 1. I think I saved 45 minutes by working ahead. I need to look for some reusable containers for my mixes next. Right now I am just putting them in Ziploc bags. Not perfect, but it will do for now.

I am attaching my printer friendly recipe for fudge brownies. Hope you enjoy!

Millet oatmeal bread GFCF - Unbelievable!

I am officially a hero at my house today. I finally got around to trying Gluten Free Mommy's Millet Oatmeal Bread recipe that I printed last  month. It is to die for. Since I only made two small loaves as a test, I will be baking more tonight. These loaves won't even last until dinner.

Click here for a printer friendly version with my notes. 

Black bean enchiladas

Scott found this wonderful recipe on Gluten Free Cooking School. Everyone fell in love with the first taste. The only problem is that there are never enough leftovers. The only modification we make is to use casein-free cheese and sour cream. The soy cheese I can find at the grocery store is NOT casein-free. I can only find that cheese at stores like Newflower or Sprouts. The sour cream substitute at the grocery is casein-free, however.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 cans black beans, drained
• 2 package gluten free taco seasoning (McCormick brand is our favorite!)
• 24 corn tortillas
• 8 TBSP dairy-free sour cream
• 2 ripe tomato, diced (approx. 48 cherry tomatoes)
• 1.5 c. grated soy cheese (or 12 slices)

Directions

1. Dice onion and peppers and saute with a little oil or water in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add beans, taco seasoning, and a little water (however much the taco seasoning calls for) to the peppers and onions. Stir until taco seasoning is mixed in. Allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes.
3. Dice the tomatoes and grate the cheese if necessary. Wrap the tortillas in a damp kitchen cloth and microwave for 30 seconds to reheat.
4. Assembly: Lay out a corn tortilla. Spread about 1 tsp. of sour cream in a strip down the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle diced tomato, and about 1 Tbsp. of grated cheese over the sour cream. Using a slotted spoon, place the beans on the tortilla in a long strip. Roll the tortilla and place, flap side down, on a plate or casserole dish. Repeat for each enchilada.
5. Sprinkle cheese and whichever salsa you like over the top of the enchiladas. Microwave for 15 seconds to melt the cheese, or place under the broiler for a few minutes. Top with sour cream and you’re ready to eat!

Click for printer friendly version.

Gluten-free flour mix 2

One of the keys to making gluten-free cooking a pleasure is having a great flour blend on hand and ready to go that you can substitute for wheat flour in many recipes. After trying several different blends, this is what we keep coming back to for everything except breads. I wish I could remember where I found this recipe to give proper credit. If anyone knows where it originated, please let me know.

The original recipe called for super fine rice flour. I'm sure that would be wonderful, but my budget finds the flour I grind in my Vitamix much more pleasing. I normally use brown rice flour, but for special occasion baked goods I use white rice flour. Be sure that you use potato STARCH not potato FLOUR. They are very different. However, tapioca STARCH and FLOUR are the exact same thing. I find the best place to buy sweet rice, tapioca starch, potato starch, and rice is at the Asian market.

I just found this great post on gluten-free flours on Good (& Cheap) Eats. I really liked the chart comparing the nutritional value of the different flours. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups rice flour (brown or white)
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 2/3 cup tapioca flour
• 3/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum 

Directions

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Sift. Store in an airtight container.

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Fudge brownies

My family assures me that brownies are necessary for sustaining life. I was so happy to find that our old brownie recipe handled the transition to gluten-free so well. I always make a double batch and cook them in my Pampered Chef bar pan.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup margarine, melted - Earth Balance or Smart Balance with Flax Oil
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 2 cups gluten-free flour mix 2
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional, but never used at my house)

Directions

Preheat oven to  350°.

Beat eggs. Add sugar and melted margarine and beat. Add other ingredients and mix well.

Bake in a shallow, greased pan until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake. Bake at 350° for 17 minutes.

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Lentil soup

I found this recipe on the back a bag of lentils several years ago. It makes a nice, hearty soup that my whole family loves. I love how forgiving this recipe is. I don't measure the veggies. I just keep cutting until I get tired.

Ingredients

• 3 cups spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups carrots, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups lentils (1 bag from grocery store)
• 8 cups water

Directions

Combine all ingredients and cook for 2 hours. I prefer to toss everything in the crockpot and cook on low all day.

Click here for a printer friendly version. 

Check out all the wonderful gluten-free soup ideas at the Gluten-Free Homemaker carnival this week.

Pizza sauce

I have been using the pizza sauce recipe from Gluten Free Homemaker for a couple of months. It is so easy to throw together out of ingredients that I always have in the pantry.  I make a 2-3 batches every Friday. As soon as the crusts go in the oven for their first bake, I start the sauce. That give it just enough time to simmer before we are ready to use it.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 Tb. sugar
• 1 Tb. minced garlic (1/8 tsp. garlic powder in the original recipe)

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a pan and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Pizza crust

Friday night is pizza and movie night at our house. Since we are gluten and casein free, that means mom gets to make pizza crust. After trying several recipes with only moderate success, we finally found one that everyone likes on the Sure Talent Books site. I have made a couple of modifications, that are shown below. I make two batches to feed our family of 7. We make 5 pie plates for individual pizzas for the younger kids and I and 2 bar pans for Scott and E. We normally have enough leftovers for lunch one day, but not always. I have two bowls for my Kitchen Aid, so I make one batch in each bowl. I tried making a double batch in one bowl, and it didn't work out very well.

Ingredients

• 1¼ Cups Cornstarch 
• 1 Cup Millet Flour
• 2 Cups White Rice Flour
• 1½ Tablespoons Xanthan Gum 
• 1½ Teaspoons Salt 
• ¼ Teaspoon Dried Oregano 
• ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder 
• 2 1/4 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1/3 Cup Olive Oil 
• 2 Eggs 
• 1 Egg White 
• 1¾ Cups Warm Water (110-115°)

Yield: dough for two 12 inch round pizzas.

Directions

Place Cornstarch, flours, Xanthan gum, salt, oregano, garlic powder and yeast in mixing bowl; mix. Add, vinegar, sugar, honey, oil, eggs, egg white and lastly the warm water; mix. Increase mixing speed to high, and beat for 4 minutes.

Coat your pizza pans with cooking spray. Dough will be a bit difficult to work with (sticky). Place dough in pans and spread with wet hands. (NOTE: This is the best way I have found to work with gluten free doughs. I just keep getting my hands wet and spreading the dough until it looks good.)

Allow to sit in a warm, dry location (free of drafts) covered loosely with plastic wrap or a towel for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375° and pre-bake crusts for 17 minutes.

Remove pizza crusts from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°.

Add pizza sauce, cheese and any other desired toppings to the pizza crusts and then place back in oven for an additional 20 minutes (note: if using sausage or other raw meat, it should be precooked before adding to pizza). We use ground turkey, canadian bacon, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and soy cheese.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting.


Click here for a printer friendly version.

Taco soup

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe for taco soup years ago. It is a favorite at our house. The original recipe calls for a package of ranch dressing mix, but since we are casein-free, I leave that out and we add some sour cream substitute at the table. I always use ground turkey in place of ground beef. I really prefer the flavor and the cost.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef or turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 oz can green chilis
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
• 3 cans stewed tomatoes
• 2 cans hominy
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. Brown the meat and drain. 
2. Put it all together; it needs a little simmering time for flavors to blend (about an hour). I normally cook it all day in a crockpot on low heat.
3. Top with sour cream substitute and grated soy or goat cheese.
4. Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips. 

Click here for a printer friendly version.

Time to get organized in the kitchen again

I can't remember the last time I sat down and made a menu plan for the week. Maybe that explains why we have been eating the same boring meals for so long. I have to get back on track! Since Sprouts and Newflower ads start on Wednesday, I am going to start planning Thursday to Wednesday so I can take advantage of their sales.

Thursday

• Bacon and eggs
• Taco soup
• Leftovers

Friday

• Oatmeal
• Leftovers
• Pizza (crust, sauce), fudge brownies

Saturday

• Breakfast casserole
• Sandwiches
• Fried rice

Sunday

• Oatmeal
• Lentil soup
• Leftovers

Monday

• Eggs & bacon
• Burritos
• Honey lime chicken chicken, rice, veggies

Tuesday

• Oatmeal
• Leftovers
• Black bean enchiladas

Wednesday

• Breakfast burritos
• Rollups
• Beans and cornbread

Hot chocolate on a stick

I love the thought of homemade hot chocolate on a stick. I can make it with GFCF ingredients and my kids will think they are in heaven. Thank you Giver's Log!