Monday, November 10, 2014

Pumpkin Bread

I found this recipe here. Although it is mostly rice based, it doesn't have a really ricey flavor or texture. My whole family enjoyed it (especially me).

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. In separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil and orange juice. Add sugar and pumpkin. Blend until thoroughly combined.
  3. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients. Mix until ingredients are thoroughly combined and a smooth batter forms.
  4. Divide batter evenly between prepared loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
  5. Remove pans from oven and place on a wire rack. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pans and place directly on wire rack. Allow bread to cool before slicing. Store bread wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 3 to 5 days, or wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Lime Coconut Chicken

Make this. You won't be sorry. Original recipe found here.

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1/2 C coconut milk
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
2 Tb oil
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 Serrano chili, minced (I removed the seeds)
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
fresh lime wedges

Instructions:
1. If using breasts, slice the breast into 2 pieces by slicing it down the length of the breast. If using tenders, do not cut down any smaller.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients except for the fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Mix the marinade together with the chicken and allow it to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
3. Heat your grill or grill pan to medium-high. Once the grill is hot, cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and boil for 3 minutes.
4. Serve the chicken over rice (I used jasmine rice), pour over some of the cooked marinade and add a squeeze of lime and cilantro on top.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Black Bean Enchiladas

A yummy recipe from my friend, Janee:

1/2 c. minced onion
1 clove garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1 can mild enchilada sauce (red or green)
12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese

Saute first two ingredients, then stir in beans.  Add spices and remove from heat.  Heat tortillas to make them easier to work with.  Spread beans and cheese onto tortillas; roll and put seam side down in shallow pan.  Pour sauce over all and top with remaining cheese.  Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Easy Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies


Recipe by Our Best Bites, inspired by Santa’s Sweet Shoppe
Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large or extra large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
optional: heaping 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
(I recommend dark or semi-sweet)
optional: sugar for rolling
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat peanut butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt.  Mix for about a minute.  Shape into balls, and if desired roll in sugar.  Flatten with a criss cross pattern with a fork, or simply flatten with the bottom of a glass.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, don’t overbake, and let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Makes 20 cookies.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Kacy made these cookies for Justin's mom and passed on the recipe. They were delicious! Justin ate a ton of them, which is saying something since he isn't a big treat person. 

Ingredients:

4 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup almond flour, or additional 1/2 cup oats
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins

1. In a blender, process 1 cup oats (or 1 1/2 cups oats if omitting almond flour) into a fine powder. Whisk together ground oats, cornstarch, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add oat mixture, beating until combined. Fold in coconut, raisins, cranberries, and remaining 3 cups oats. Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes.

3. In batches, drop balls of dough onto greased aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies


My notes:

I substituted chocolate chips for dried fruit, which was great since I've never been huge on oatmeal raisin cookies. Make sure to refrigerate the dough; Kacy said they were pretty crumbly when she didn't. Also, we tried baking them on the aluminum foil, on a ungreased cookie sheet, and a non-stick cookie sheet. They seemed to do best on the non-stick cookie sheet. We found they stay together the best if you let them cool down (almost completely) on the baking sheet.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Tomato Basil Chicken

Original recipe found here.

Ingredients: (4 servings)
2 chicken breasts
kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp extra olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
4 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
parmesan cheese for garnish
cooked pasta

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts. Cook 4-5 minutes per side.
Add tomatoes, basil, butter, and garlic. Stir. When your chicken is done, turn down to low.
Remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. Cut the chicken into slices on the bias. Serve chicken over pasta, topped with tomato basil sauce and parmesan cheese.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Original recipe found here. 3/4 of my family liked this :)

Ingredients:
1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
a few cups fresh spinach (or swiss chard), chopped
6 eggs, beaten
1 to 2 cups cheese
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
a few strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until wilted.
  3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture, bacon, and stir to blend. Pour into prepared pie pan.
  4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
3/4 t salt 2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 c peanut butter
2 c gf oats
1 c chocolate chips 

Mix well. Drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Makes 3 dozen good sized cookies. The peanut flavor is pretty subtle, and the texture is chewy and not crumbly.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Blender Pancakes

Justin and I have enjoyed these pancakes a few times, found here. I know neither of you are big on pancakes, but I thought I'd still share. I would say they have a banana taste. The recipe calls for ground chia seeds, which I don't have and didn't want to buy. From my brief research, it seems that these are sort of a binding agent (could be wrong.) I substituted 1/2 Tbsp xanthan gum. I obviously don't know the difference since I've never used the chia seeds, but they turned out well. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 medium banana (overripe is good, but not necessary)
2 cups certified gluten-free oats
1 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Place the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, banana, oats, chia seeds, and honey into the jar of a blender. Cover and blend at high speed for two minutes (if you skimp on the blender time, your mixture may not be thick enough). Add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and blend again just until mixed.

Pour approximately 1/2 cup batter onto lightly greased frying pan heated to a medium-high heat, making pancakes that are about 4 to 5 inches.

This recipe makes about 10 5-inch pancakes.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Tuscan Tomato Soup

I've made this a few times, served with grilled cheese sandwiches. The original recipe is found here.

Tuscan Tomato Soup
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, Small dice
- 3 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1.5 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 to 1 Cup Basil Pesto
- Salt and Pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a medium large soup pot. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent. Add tomatoes and allow to warm to a simmer. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes to allow for interchange of flavors.

Add whipping cream. Add pesto.

Blend to desired consistency in a food processor or blender. (Barbara reserves a little bit of the soup un-blended so there are some chunks.) Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.